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THE  ARK  OF  1803 


THE 

Ark  of  1803 


A STORY  OF  LOUISI- 
ANA PURCHASE  TIMES 

ft7> ^ 

B y C'^fAfs  T E P H E N S 


H.  BURGES.S>. 


New  York 

A.  S.  BARNES  & COMPANY 
1904 


A 


Co 


9^ 


a. 


ro 


Copyright,  1904 
BY 

A.  S.  BARNES  ^ CO. 

May^  I go  4 


LIBRARY  of  CONGRESS 
Two  Copies  Received 

MAY  12  1904 

Oepyrlffht  Entry 

ll^Ctc.  "J.  (7- / 0^ 

CLASS  Oi  XXo.  Na 

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CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

THE  master’s  holiday  -----  j 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED  - - - - 26 

CHAPTER  III. 

JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK  - - - ''51 

CHAPTER  IV. 

JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER  - - - - 68 

CHAPTER  V. 

UNCLE  AMASa’s  NEWS  - - - - - 84 

CHAPTER  VI. 

A DANGEROUS  “GOBBLER”  - - - - I06 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  CAVE  ROBBERS  - - - - - 1 29 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  TORNADO  - - - - - “154 


V 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  IX. 

PAGE 

THE  LANDSLIDE  - - - “ "*  -l8l 

CHAPTER  X. 

‘‘SAM  HOKOMOKE”  _ _ - - - 202 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  HEAD  -------  227 

CHAPTER  XII. 

NEW  ORLEANS  ------  260 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

“VIVE  napoleon”  - - - - - -301 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

CONCLUSION  - - - - • - ‘*320 


VI 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


“ HEY,  WHAT  ? FORGIVE  THEM  ! ” - 
“ YOU  WILL  SURELY  COME  BACK  THEN  ? ” - 

“ here’s  your  turkey  gobbler  ! ” 

A “ KEEL  ” FROM  ST.  LOUIS  CAME  ALONGSIDE 
‘‘  GUESS  WHO  HE  IS  ! GUESS  ! ” 

“ HOW  GOT  YE  BY  THE  FORT  ? ” 

IN  ITS  PLACE  ROSE  THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES 
‘‘  NAPOLEON  IS  HERE  ! VIVE  NAPOLEON  ! ” 

“ THEY  ARE  GOING  TO  CALL  AT  OUR  LANDING  ! ” 


PAGE 


22 


91  ^ 

128  ^ 
170 
202 
268 


293 

319 

334  " 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  master’s  holiday 


’E’S  taking  holidays 
enough.  I guess  he 
can  give  us  one,” 
said  Moses  Ayer, 
signing  his  name 
laboriously  uphill. 

‘‘  One  licking  more 
likely,”  said  Lewis  Hoyt. 
He  grinned  as  he  took 
the  big  smooth-faced 
chip  from  Moses  and 
added  his  signature. 
Here,  Molly,  it’s  your  turn.  Remem- 
ber, you  want  to  leave  room  for  all  the 
others  that  can  possibly  squeeze  on.” 

If  I couldn’t  write  smaller  than  that 


I 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


I wouldn’t  sign,”  retorted  Molly  Royce 
over  his  shoulder.  ‘‘He’s  got  to  stand  treat 
and  that’s  all  there  is  to  it.” 

While  the  three  signers  were  busy  at 
the  master’s  table,  a little  cloud  of  turkey 
feathers  broke  suddenly  over  a group  of 
boys  and  girls  who  were  gathered  round  the 
fireplace  of  the  big  schoolhouse.  Jimmy 
Claiborne  had  thrown  a handful  of  the 
feathers  he  was  plucking  at  Louis  Gist. 

Louis,  who  was  busy  with  another  tur- 
key, dropped  it  and  sprang  at  Jimmy. 
Jimmy  dodged  among  the  others.  The 
benches  were  overturned.  In  a moment  a 
skirmish  had  broken  out  and  the  school  was 
a mass  of  dodging  figures,  laughs  and  screams. 

“Stop  that  racket,”  cried  Moses  Ayer, 
pounding  on  the  master’s  table.  “ Listen 
here! — Jimmy  Claiborne,  you  and  Louis 
stop  your  fussing  and  come  and  sign  this 
petition.  Quit  fooling.  He  may  be  bang- 
ing at  the  door  any  minute.” 


2 


THE  MASTER’S  HOLIDAY 

Louis  says  Marion  Royce  don’t  want 
me  to  go  on  the  ark,”  shouted  Jimmy, 
“and  I want  to  know  if  it’s  true.” 

“ Come  and  sign,”  yelled  Moses.  “The 
ark  won’t  be  starting  for  a month  and  this 
petition  goes  into  effect  to-day.  Quit  your 
squabbling  and  come  here.” 

“ I tell  you  you  won't  go  to  New  Orleans 
on  the  ark,”  screamed  Louis  Gist,  swinging 
his  turkey  round  his  head  as  he  charged 
with  it. 

“Never  mind  New  Orleans,  I tell  you,” 
cried  Moses,  reaching  after  Jimmy  as  Jimmy 
dodged  the  turkey  swung  at  him.  “ Look 
out  what  you’re  doing!”  He  caught  at 
the  turkey  to  ward  it  off,  tripped  over  a 
puncheon,  and  went  over,  dragging  the 
turkey  and  its  holder  with  him. 

Lewis  Hoyt  was  still  grinning.  He 
caught  the  passing  Jimmy  by  a fringe  of  his 
buckskin  and  drew  him  to  the  master’s  desk. 

“ Sign  here,  if  you’ve  got  sense  enough,” 
3 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


he  said.  ‘‘You  look  as  if  you’d  been  roll- 
ing in  a torn  feather  bed.  If  I were  Marion 
Royce  I’d  leave  you  two  muddle- heads 
behind  even  if  I had  to  fill  your  places  with 
girls.” 

“I  guess  Marion  would  be  mighty  glad 
to  fill  one  of  their  places  with  a girl,”  gasped 
Moses  Ayer,  emerging  from  the  little  boys 
who  had  promptly  fallen  over  him  when  he 
tripped. 

Everyone  laughed  and  looked  at  Milly 
Ayer.  She  blushed  and  bent  over  her  book. 
She  was  one  of  the  older  girls  who  had  sat 
quietly  in  the  back  rows,  paying  no  atten- 
tion to  the  younger  ones  about  the  fire. 

“ Don’t  mind  him,  Milly,  he’s  only  your 
brother,”  said  Louis  Gist.  Now  that  Jimmy 
Claiborne  was  captured  he  could  return  to 
finish  plucking  his  turkey  at  the  fireside. 
“Won’t  we  have  a grand  barbecue,  if  the 
old  rascal  doesn’t  come  ! ” 

“We’ll  have  it  even  if  he  does  come,” 


4 


THE  MASTER^S  HOLIDAY 


insisted  Moses  Ayer.  I guess  an  old  toper 
that  can  stay  away  from  his  school  four  days 
at  a time  hasn’t  much  right  to  keep  us  from 
having  a holiday.  I guess  he’s  pretty  lucky 
to  be  allowed  to  teach  here  at  all.” 

Lewis  Hoyt,  who  was  patiently  guiding 
Jimmy  Claiborne’s  hand  through  the  evo- 
lution of  his  long  name,  looked  up. 

‘^You  can  depend  on  it.  Master  Hemp- 
stead wouldn’t  be  here  in  Fish  Creek  teach- 
ing us  if  he  wasn’t  addicted  to  the  bowl. 
He’s  a scholar,  and  some  day  you’ll  regret 
you  didn’t  appreciate  what  he’s  tried  to 
teach  you.” 

Lewis  is  preaching  again,”  cried  Moses. 
‘‘What’s  Master  Hempstead  taught  us  ex- 
cept the  way  to  the  Marietta  tavern?” 

“ Who  needs  to  go  to  Marietta  since  the 
Claibornes  bought  their  new  still, — except 
to  hide  himself?”  asked  Louis  Gist. 

There  was  a sudden  silence  over  all  the 
room.  It  was  so  quiet  that  Jimmy  Clai- 
5 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


borne’s  labored  writing  was  heard,  and  all  the 
older  scholars  exchanged  glances.  The  Clai- 
borne still  had  been  a bitter  subject  at  Fish 
Creek,  and  some  of  the  older  boys  had  said 
that  it  was  already  ruining  Jimmy  Claiborne. 

Lewis  Hoyt  held  his  hand  closed  over 
Jimmy’s  as  the  silence  fell, — a silence  timed 
by  the  steady  booming  of  the  puncheon 
mauls  at  the  little  shipyard  where  the  ark 
was  building. 

Jimmy’s  hand  trembled  and  stopped. 
Lewis  steadily  drove  it  to  the  finishing  of 
the  name. 

“ I wish  there  wasn’t  a still  on  the  whole 
length  of  the  Ohio  river,”  Lewis  said  very 
quietly.  “Come  here,  Louis  Gist,  it’s  your 
turn  to  sign.” 

Jimmy  Claiborne  went  back  to  tne  fire, 
sullen,  red-faced  and  silent,  and  while  the 
incident  was  soon  dismissed  by  the  others 
he  sat  looking  into  the  fire  or  plucking 
savagely  at  the  feathers  of  his  turkey.  He 
6 


THE  MASTER’S  HOLIDAY 


and  Louis  had  caught  them  that  morning,  just 
outside  the  schoolhouse,  in  their  turkey  trap. 

Over  at  the  shipyard  the  treenail  ham- 
mers sounded,  blending  their  sharp  raps 
with  the  measured  hollow  strokes  of  the 
mauls.  All  the  men  on  the  creek  were 
working  on  the  ark  which  young  Captain 
Marion  Royce  was  building  to  go  down  to 
New  Orleans  with  the  spring  ‘‘fresh.” 

Jonas  Sparks,  the  veteran  shipwright, 
had  come  down  from  Marietta  to  oversee 
the  work.  Even  Gaffir  Hoyt  was  working 
there,  and  Uncle  Amasa  Claiborne,  half  of 
whose  scalp  the  Indians  had  taken  thirty 
years  before. 

And  Louis  Gist  had  told  Jimmy  that 
Marion  would  not  let  him  go.  Jimmy 
knew  why.  They  were  gradually  coming 
to  distrust  him.  He  and  Kenton  and 
McAfee  were  one  party  in  the  Fish  Creek 
school ; Moses  and  Lewis  and  Louis  Gist 
another 


7 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


He  wanted  to  go  to  New  Orleans.  He 
was  entitled  to.  All  winter  long  he  had 
planned  it.  Marion  Royce  would  not  dare 
refuse.  But  Louis’  unconsidered  speech 
rankled  in  his  bitter  heart.  He  would  have 
been  glad  to  escape  into  the  woods,  but  he 
sat  sullenly  plucking  his  turkey  for  the 
barbecue,  entrenched  behind  his  knowledge 
that  he  had  as  much  right  in  the  school- 
house  as  any  of  the  others  who  chattered 
around  him. 

Free  public  schools  had  not  yet  been 
established  in  Ohio,  but  the  pioneer  families 
maintained  a ‘^subscription  school”  for 
their  children  in  primitive  schoolhouses  of 
logs  afterwards  widely  known  as  “ Brush 
College.”  Here  masters  of  greater  or  less 
merit  taught  school  six  days  in  a week,  with 
no  holidays.  Not  a few,  indeed,  of  the 
early  schoolmasters  of  this  new  region  were 
men  whom  certain  weaknesses  of  character 
or  appetite  had  exiled  from  the  older  walks 
8 


THE  MASTER^S  HOLIDAY 


of  civilization.  Except  for  such  infirmities 
many  of  them  were  instructors  of  remark- 
able ability. 

Master  Hempstead’s  foible  was  the  all  too 
common  one  of  a fond  and  apparently  un- 
governable liking  for  beverages  which  ine- 
briate. On  a number  of  occasions  he  had 
dismissed  school  in  the  middle  of  the  fore- 
noon, and  after  touching  homilies  to  his 
pupils,  had  walked  out  and  not  been 
seen  again  for  several  days.  He  had 
then  reappeared,  visibly  the  “worse  for 
wear.” 

Marietta,  then  a vigorous  young  colony 
of  farmers  and  shipwrights  from  New  Eng- 
land, was  the  Mecca  to  which  Master 
Hempstead’s  erratic  pilgrimages  were  di- 
rected; and  it  was  from  one  of  these,  after 
an  absence  of  four  days,  that  he  was  return- 
ing, in  no  very  pleasant  humor,  on  the 
morning  of  our  story. 

In  the  meantime  his  little  kingdom  had 
9 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


run  riot  and  tasted  the  sweets  of  self-govern- 
ment. An  exuberant  hilarity  indeed  was 
in  the  air  during  these  first  years  of  the 
century  just  past.  Moreover,  Ohio  had 
become  a state  that  month,  and  daring 
schemes  for  capturing  New  Orleans  from 
the  Spanish  were  on  foot. 

On  every  day  of  Master  Hempstead’s 
absence  his  pupils,  numbering  nineteen,  of 
various  ages,  had  assembled,  in  expectation 
of  his  reappearance.  They  played  “gool,” 
“ I spy  ” and  hide-and-seek  ” in  the 
underbrush  about  the  stumpy  clearing.  Of 
more  interest  still  was  a trap  for  wild  tur- 
keys which  the  boys  had  constructed  at  a 
distance  in  the  woods. 

This  trap  was  a covered  pen  of  stakes 
and  brush,  into  which  a ‘‘  tunnel  ” led  from 
the  outside.  This  subway,  as  well  as  the 
pen,  was  baited  with  corn,  and  wild  turkeys, 
which  abounded  in  the  forest,  were  thus 
allured  to  enter.  The  two  turkeys  which 

lO 


THE  MASTER’S  HOLIDAY 


the  boys  were  plucking  this  morning  had 
been  caught  in  this  way. 

It  was  the  custom  at  these  early  sub- 
scription schools  of  Ohio  for  the  master 
to  ‘‘stand  a treat  ” on  New  Year’s  Day,  and 
provide,  at  his  own  expense,  a bushel  of 
hickory  nuts  and  ten  pounds  of  candy. 
This  coveted  festival  Master  Hempstead 
had  ignored,  much  to  the  dissatisfaction  of 
his  pupils;  and  now  they  determined  to 
bring  him  to  terms. 

To  guard  against  a surprise  they  had 
closed  the  door  and  barricaded  it  with  their 
benches,  which  consisted  merely  of  rough 
“puncheons,”  each  having  four  wooden 
pins  for  legs;  and  Moses  Ayer,  Lewis  Hoyt 
and  Molly  Royce  had  prepared  a species  of 
“ round  robin,”  containing  the  demands  of 
the  school,  written  laboriously  on  a large, 
smooth  chip. 

Such  was  the  state  of  affairs  when,  at 
about  ten  in  the  forenoon,  the  instructor 
n 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


entered  the  clearing  where  the  schoolhouse 
stood,  and  was  promptly  espied  by  more 
than  one  pair  of  sharp  eyes  at  the  one  small, 
four-pane  window. 

Beyond  doubt  the  man  was  in  bad 
plight.  His  indiscretions  were  heavy  upon 
him ; a raging  headache  and  many  other 
aches  oppressed  him  sorely;  his  coonskin 
cap  was  pulled  low  over  watery  eyes.  He 
noted  the  smoke  from  the  rock  chimney 
and  strode  to  the  door. 

But  the  latch-string,  that  ancient  token 
of  hospitality,  had  disappeared  within  its 
hole,  and  the  door  itself  was  fast  shut.  He 
thundered  at  it  with  his  fist,  but  obtained 
no  response,  unless  an  ambiguous  and  irri- 
tating snicker  from  within  could  be  thus 
construed. 

“ Open  the  door ! It  is  I,  the  master  ! 
Open  this  door  ! ” he  shouted. 

Still  no  response;  but  now  the  window 
was  pushed  slowly  aside,  and  out  through 


12 


THE  MASTER’S  HOLIDAY 


the  hole  there  came  a long  stick,  to  the  end 
of  which  was  tied  a huge,  fresh,  white-wal- 
nut chip ; on  the  smoothed  side  of  this  the 
master  at  length  noticed  there  was  a black, 
coarse  scrawl. 

‘‘What’s  this?”  exclaimed  the  irate 
pedagogue,  starting  backward  as  they 
dangled  the  chip  under  his  nose. 

“ Read  it,  master  ! ” yelled  a chorus  of 
wild  voices  from  within  the  dark  hole. 
“Read  it,  master!  Ye  can’t  come  in  till 
ye  do.” 

With  a snarl  of  disdain  Master  Hemp- 
stead snatched  at  the  chip. 

“ ‘ Read  it ! ’ ” he  muttered.  “ That’s 
more  than  you  could  do  yourselves,  I warrant. 
What  blockhead  of  ye  wrote  this  ? What 
ignoramus  of  ye  spelled  it  ? ” In  truth  the 
spelling  was  not  above  reproach.  But  those 
were  pioneer  days.  The  chip  read  as  follows : 

We  the  undersined  Scollars  of  Fish 
Creke  want  and  are  determined  to  have  a 


13 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Hollerday.  You  didn’t  give  us  one  at 
New  Yere’s.  You  can’t  kepe  school  here 
again  til  you  do.  Ohio  is  a State.  We 
want  to  cellarbrate  it.  We  dimmand  that 
you  get  a bushell  of  hickerry  nuts,  or  wall- 
nuts  ten  ponds  of  Candy  and  five  ponds  of 
Raizeans.  Say  you  will  or  you  cant  come 
in.  Sine  your  name  at  the  bottom  of  this 
with  your  led  pensel  to  let  us  know  you 
mene  it  and  all  will  yit  be  wel.  If  you 
dont  you  cant  never  come  in  here  again  for 
you  are  a bad-drinking  Old  Fellar. 

Moses  Ayer  James  Claiborne 

Lewis  Hoyt  Louis  Gist 

Molly  Royce  And  all  the  rest  of  us. 

This,  as  must  be  confessed,  was  hardly  re- 
spectful or  complimentary,  but  these  were 
rough  times  and  these  children  had  much 
to  learn.  Master  Hempstead  was  accustomed 
to  the  utmost  consideration.  The  man  of 
learning  had  then,  as  now,  the  highest 
place  in  the  regard  of  the  community, 
and  his  anger  seethed,  as,  with  the  hastily 
adjusted  aid  of  his  horn-bowed  glasses,  he 
perused  this  gage  of  rebellion. 

14 


THE  MASTER^S  HOLIDAY 

‘‘Numskulls!”  he  shouted.  “After 
all  I have  taught  ye,  to  spell  like  that! 
Y-  e - r - e,  year ! R-a-i-z-e-a-n-s,  raisins! 
T-i-1,  till  ! P-o-n-d-s,  pounds ! S-i-n-e, 
sign!  O you  young  ignoramuses!  You 
will  go  out  into  the  world  and  disgrace 
me ! ” 

“Sign  your  name,  master  ! ” shrilled  the 
unfeeling  chorus  inside. 

“O  you  young  vipers!  Vipers  whom  I 
have  cherished  in  my  bosom ! Mox  anguis 
recreatus!  Sting  the  hand  that  nourished 
you ! And  spell  like  that ! ” 

“ Sign  it,  master ! Y ou  got  to  sign  it  1 
H-i-l-l-e-1  H-e-m-p-s-t-e-a-d,  Hillel  Hemp- 
stead. Sign  it!”  still  yelled  the  dissonant 
chorus  within. 

“ Ingrates  ! Thankless  cubs  ! Good  in- 
struction has  been  wasted  on  ye  ! Open  the 
door,  that  I may  flog  it  out  of  ye  ! ” 

« No — no — no,  master,  you  can’t  come 
in!”  retorted  the  young  rebels.  “You 
IS 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

have  got  to  sign  that,  and  promise  not  to 
whip  us ! ’’ 

“ Compacts  with  a mob  ! Truces  with 
rebels  ! Never  ! ” shouted  the  wordy  old 
schoolmaster. 

Parley  is  at  an  end.  Prepare  to 
suffer.  You  shall  have  your  deserts.” 

Master  Hempstead  hurled  the  wainut 
chip  back  in  at  the  window — where  it 
caused  lively  dodging  of  youthful  heads — 
and  made  ready  for  active  operations. 

At  the  wood-pile  hard  by  lay  a small 
hickory  log,  some  ten  feet  in  length  and 
four  or  five  inches  in  diameter.  Heaving 
this  up  in  his  arms,  he  ran  with  it  full  tilt 
against  the  door,  delivering  a blow  which 
made  the  whole  house  tremble  and  started 
the  latch-bar  in  its  socket. 

Hear  that,  ungrateful  hearts ! ” he 
vociferated.  “ I am  now  illustrating  to  ye 
the  principle  of  the  battering-ram,  which 
played  so  noble  a part  in  the  wars  of 

i6 


THE  MASTER^S  HOLIDAY 


antiquity.  Vespasian  and  Titus  employed 
it  against  the  gates  of  stiff-necked  Jerusalem. 
And  thus  do  I batter  in  the  gate  of  this 
stronghold  of  young  deviltry 

He  came  bang  ! against  the  door  again, 
this  time  with  such  effect  that  the  latch 
gave  way  and  the  benches  were  pushed  back. 

Yet  again  the  doughty  pedagogue  drew 
back,  and  panting  hard,  made  another 
staggering  rush  with  his  improvised  ram. 
This  time  the  shock  was  so  forceful  that 
everything  gave  way,  so  suddenly  that  both 
master  and  ‘‘ram”  fell  in  headlong  at  the 
doorway. 

The  “ principle,”  indeed,  was  well  illus- 
trated ; but  Master  Hempstead  had  still  to 
deal,  hand  to  hand,  with  his  youthful  rebels. 

Lewis,  Moses  and  the  others  were 
athletic  youngsters,  and  the  master,  owing 
perhaps  to  his  many  “ vacations  ” at 
Marietta,  was  at  best  somewhat  tottery. 

The  battle  went  sorely  against  him. 

17 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


With  shouts  of  triumph  they  dragged  him 
forth  into  the  yard,  and  holding  him  down 
in  the  snow,  clamored  loud  for  his  signature. 
Still,  with  reproaches,  he  refused  it,  calling 
down  upon  them  the  vengeance  of  all 
known  powers  of  good  and  evil. 

But  now  an  interruption  occurred. 
Milly  Ayer,  who  had  thus  far  sat  quietly 
in  the  back  row,  now  donned  her  hood  in 
haste,  and  slipping  forth  in  the  midst  of  the 
melee,  ran  down  to  the  creek  bank,  where 
the  ark  was  being  built,  to  summon  aid. 

‘‘Help!  help!’'  she  cried,  then  waved 
her  red  hood  to  attract  attention,  for  her 
cries  were  drowned  in  the  din  of  hammers 
below. 

Young  Captain  Royce  was  the  first  to 
see  and  hear.  Between  Milly  and  himself 
there  had  long  existed  a warm  friendship. 

“ What  is  it,  Milly?  What’s  happened?” 
he  shouted,  and  all  the  hammers  stopped 
short. 


i8 


THE  MASTER’S  HOLIDAY 


“O  Marion,  come  quick!”  cried  Milly. 
^‘They  are  fighting  at  the  schoolhouse!  ” 
The  young  captain  was  half-way  up  the 
bluff  before  these  words  were  all  spoken. 
The  others  followed  him ; even  old  Jonas 
Sparks,  Gaffir  Hoyt  and  Uncle  Amasa  Clai- 
borne hurried  stiffly  to  the  schoolhouse  in 
the  wake  of  Marion  Royce  and  Milly. 

But  the  most  sedate  of  them  could  but 
smile  at  the  spectacle  which  was  there 
presented.  Moses  Ayer  and  Lewis  Hoyt 
were  holding  Master  Hempstead  fast  with 
his  back  to  a tree  trunk,  while  Louis  Gist 
was  trying  to  bind  him  to  it  with  green 
hazel  withes.  The  smaller  boys,  equally 
excited,  were  endeavoring  to  bear  a hand, 
and  yelled  like  young  redskins  ; while  Molly 
Royce  and  the  other  girls  looked  on  with 
something  akin  to  enthusiasm. 

Here,  here,  boys  I Do  you  know 
what  you  are  doing?”  the  young  captain 
exclaimed. 


19 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


‘‘What’s  the  trouble?” 

“He’s  got  to  sign  it!”  shouted  Moses, 
hotly. 

“Yes,  he’s  got  to!”  yelled  Lewis. 

“Yes,  Mack,  help  us  make  him  sign 
it ! ” chimed  in  Molly  Royce. 

“ Be  quiet,  Molly ! ” replied  Marion, 
putting  his  impetuous  young  sister  aside 
with  one  hand  as  he  strode  nearer.  “We 
will  see  about  this.  Let  go,  Lewis  ! Let 
go,  Mose ! Master  Hempstead,  what’s  the 
matter  here  ? ” 

The  master,  who  had  been  kicking  hard 
and  hitting  right  and  left  at  his  assailants, 
recovered  his  dignity  and  struck  an  attitude. 

“How  sharper  than  a serpent’s  tooth  is 
such  ingratitude ! ” he  cried,  in  injured 
accents.  “These  whom  I have  taught  with 
so  great  patience,  whose  dull  wits  I have 
fostered,  lo,  they  have  lifted  up  the  heel 
against  me ! ” 

“ But  what  is  it.  Master  Hempstead, 


20 


THE  MASTER’S  HOLIDAY 


that  they  want  you  to  sign  ?’*  asked  Marion, 
laughing  in  spite  of  himself. 

‘‘  An  exorbitant  demand  ! Preposterous 
extortion ! Stuck  under  my  very  nose  at 
the  schoolhouse  door  on  an  illiterate  chip ! ” 
“And  he’sgot  tosign  it!” interrupted Mose. 

“ But  what  is  it  ? Let’s  see  it,”  said 
Marion. 

With  that,  Jimmy  Hoyt  came  running 
with  the  chip,  which,  on  being  read  aloud, 
caused  Jonas  Sparks  and  Uncle  Amasa  Clai- 
borne, who  had  now  come  up,  to  chuckle 
audibly. 

“ And  I kinder  reckon,  master,  that 
they  was  in  a fair  way  to  make  ye  put  yer 
name  to  it  1 ” cried  the  old  shipwright. 
“ I guess  ye  better  sign  it.” 

“No,  no,  but  the  rising  gineration 
musn’t  be  incouraged  to  be  sassy  1 ” cried 
Gaffir  Hoyt.  “They’re  sassy  enough  now. 
Give  ’em  an  inch  and  they’ll  take  an  ell.” 
Uncle  Amasa  agreed  with  him. 


21 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Cut  some  switches  and  drub  the  young 
scamps,”  said  Uncle  Amasa. 

Public  opinion  being  thus  divided,  every 
one,  including  Milly  Ayer,  looked  to  Marion 
for  the  guiding  word.  Already  this  little 
community  had  come  to  rely  upon  his 
judgment  in  emergencies. 

The  young  captain  laughed  good- 
humoredly.  ‘‘I  don’t  want  to  set  my  word 
before  that  of  my  elders,”  he  said,  “but 
drubbing  isn’t  always  the  best  medicine. 
The  boys  have  been  rough  and  hasty.  But 
from  all  accounts.  Master  Hempstead  hasn’t 
set  them  quite  so  good  an  example  of  late 
as  we  wish  he  would.  Lewis,  you  and  Mose 
and  Molly  must  beg  Master  Hempstead’s 
forgiveness  for  misusing  him.  If  they  do  that, 
you  will  overlook  it,  master,  will  you  not?” 

“Hey,  what?  Forgive  them!”  cried 
the  still  agitated  pedagogue.  “ Forgive 
them  1 Well,  anything  but  their  bad  spell- 
ing 1 Anything  but  that  1 ” 


22 


“ HEY,  WHAT?  FORGIVE  THEM  ! ” 


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i 


THE  MASTER’S  HOLIDAY 


*‘Wal,  master,  that  is  a fault  you  must 
try  to  remedy ! ” cried  old  Jonas,  laughing. 
“ Good  spelling  is  the  gift  of  Heaven.  I 
only  wish  that  it  had  been  given  to  me.” 

‘‘But  the  holiday!”  exclaimed  Molly. 
“We  want  the  holiday!” 

“ What  do  you  say.  Master  Hempstead  ? ” 
Marion  asked  him,  with  much  respect. 
His  manner  did  more  than  any  words  could 
have  done  to  remind  the  young  people  of 
the  great  regard  in  which  a master  was  and 
should  be  held.  “A  holiday  to  celebrate 
the  admission  of  Ohio  to  the  Union  would 
be  no  very  bad  thing,  would  it?  Suppose 
you  give  them  one  and  let  us  all  come 
to  it.” 

“ But  I haven’t  the  means.  I’m  a poor 
man  ! ” protested  the  master.  “ Candy  and 
raisins  cost  good  money  at  Marietta.” 

“And  so  does  gin  and  whisky!  ” mut- 
tered Moses,  under  his  breath. 

“Hush,  Moses!”  said  Marion.  He 


23 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

turned  to  the  other  older  men.  How 
would  it  be  if  we  all  give  something,  and 
have  the  celebration  next  month  just  before 
the  ark  starts  to  New  Orleans?” 

The  faces  of  the  young  people  fell  vis- 
ibly at  this  suggestion  of  postponement,  but 
the  motion  was  carried,  and  it  was  arranged 
that  the  holiday  should  take  place  the  day 
before  the  ark  should  leave  for  its  long 
adventurous  voyage  down  the  Mississippi. 

The  master  pointed  to  the  gaping 
schoolhouse  doorway.  ‘‘  In,  ye  renegades,” 
he  ordered,  and  they  trooped  noisily  in  to 
straighten  the  overturned  benches  and  settle 
down  to  their  study  after  the  four  days  of 
unofficial  vacation. 

Jimmy  Claiborne  did  not  follow  them. 
He  waited  until  the  men  were  starting  back 
to  the  shipyard,  then  he  stopped  Marion 
Royce. 

‘‘  Louis  Gist  says  you  won’t  let  me  go 
on  the  ark,”  he  said,  fixing  the  young 
24 


THE  MASTER’S  HOLIDAY 


captain  with  his  sombre,  discontented  eyes. 
“ I guess  Uncle  Amasa  could  make  you, 
seeing  what  a share  we’ve  got  in  the  cargo, 
but  I just  wanted  to  ask  you  if  it’s  true — 
what  Louis  said — that  you  don’t  want  me.” 

Marion  wished,  as  he  looked  gravely  at 
the  boy,  that  the  ark  were  not  taking  the 
Claiborne’s  share  of  the  cargo  at  all,  but  he 
only  said : 

‘^That  depends  on  yourself,  Jimmy.” 

Jimmy  made  no  answer  in  words.  He 
turned  and  strode  off  towards  the  woods 
behind  the  schoolhouse  clearing.  Marion 
called  to  him,  but  he  gave  no  sign  of 
hearing,  and  after  waiting  a moment  longer 
Marion  went  back  to  his  work. 


25 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 

OUNG  Captain  Royce 
went  slowly  back  to 
the  shipyard,  thinking 
of  the  sullen  look  in 
Jimmy  Claiborne’s 
eyes. 

“ The  boy  means  to 
make  trouble,”  he  said 
to  himself.  But  beyond  the  annoyance 
which  would  result  from  being  obliged  to 
refuse,  if  Jimmy  got  Uncle  Amasa  to  plead 
for  him,  there  seemed  to  be  nothing  much 
that  Jimmy  could  do.  Young  as  he  was — 
scarcely  twenty-two — Marion  Royce  had 
already  won  the  confidence  of  the  settlement 
by  his  courage  and  coolness,  and  those  who 
had  chosen  him  as  leader  and  captain  would 
certainly  uphold  him  in  any  position  which 
26 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


he  might  take  in  regard  to  the  selection  of 
his  crew.  But  between  being  merely  up- 
held in  a disagreeable  duty,  and  having  the 
cordial  good  feeling  of  all  the  shareholders, 
there  was  much  to  choose. 

He  was  tempted,  as  he  went  along 
through  the  woods  between  the  little  ship- 
yard and  the  schoolhouse,  to  turn  a deaf  ear 
to  his  own  better  judgment.  But  he  had  made 
three  trips  down  the  river  to  New  Orleans, 
and  he  knew  the  importance  of  an  efficient 
crew,  just  as  he  knew  the  danger  of  a single 
insubordinate  spirit. 

If  it  were  anybody  else  but  Jimmy 
Claiborne,”  he  thought,  ‘‘  it  would  not  so 
much  matter.”  There  were  the  twenty 
barrels  of  peach  brandy  and  whisky — the 
Claiborne's  share  of  the  cargo — and  in  the 
long  monotonous  days  and  nights  only 
ceaseless  vigilance  would  keep  the  men 
from  broaching  them.  If  Jimmy  were  in 
the  crew,  his  sense  of  proprietorship  in  this 
27 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


portion  of  the  cargo  would  make  the  danger 
of  it  very  much  greater. 

It  was  a voyage  of  untold  perils.  Every 
year  an  increasing  number  of  white  outlaws, 
hidden  in  the  caves  along  the  river,  harried 
and  robbed  the  boatmen  who  floated  down 
from  the  upper  settlements.  There  were 
lurking  bands  of  hostile  Indians.  And  there 
was  the  river  itself  with  its  treacheries;  its 
snags;  its  mud  bars  and  its  floods.  It  was 
no  unusual  thing  for  an  ark  to  set  out  as 
this  one  was  about  to  do,  provided  against 
all  foreseeable  disasters,  and  never  be  heard 
from  afterward.  Some  were  wrecked,  some 
were  robbed  and  their  crews  obscurely 
murdered.  But  no  tidings  of  their  fate 
came  back  to  the  solitary  homes  on  the 
upper  Ohio. 

To  set  out  on  such  a voyage  with  a 
single  man  or  boy  who  could  not  be  trusted, 
might  mean  the  loss  of  the  boat  or  even  of 
every  life  on  board  of  her.  Marion  Royce 
28 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


looked  ahead  of  him,  suddenly  throwing 
back  his  shoulders  and  breathing  deeply. 

‘‘It’s  got  to  come,  and  it  had  better  be 
over  with  at  once,”  he  said  aloud.  “Oh, 
Uncle  Amasa  ! Ho,  Uncle  Amasa  ! Hold 
on  and  let  me  catch  up  with  you  ! ” 

The  old  man  could  be  seen  through  the 
thinning  trees  that  covered  the  slope  leading 
down  to  the  creek’s  mouth.  He  stopped 
and  waited  for  the  captain  to  come  up  to 
him. 

“We’ll  get  them  twenty  barrels  down 
from  the  still  this  afternoon,  son,”  he  be- 
gan, as  Marion  joined  him.  “It’s  time  to 
get  your  cargo  collected,  and  them  casks 
will  do  just  as  well  down  here  at  the  shed 
where  there’s  room  for  ’em.  We’re  pretty 
crowded  with  them  up  to  the  still.” 

“It  isn’t  the  cargo  I’m  worrying  so 
much  about,”  said  the  captain  slowly. 
“ It’s  the  supercargo.” 

The  old  man  looked  at  him  shrewdly. 

29 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

He  understood  as  well  as  if  Marion  had 
told  him  in  so  many  words  that  he  did  not 
want  to  take  Jimmy. 

‘‘It’s  a rough  voyage,”  the  captain  said. 
“ If  I thought  it  would  help  to  make  a man 
of  Jimmy  I’d  take  him  and  risk  his  stirring 
up  a feeling  of  insubordination  in  those 
Marietta  fellows  that  he  knows  better  than 
I do.  But  my  feeling  is  that  Jimmy  ought 
to  stay  at  home.  There’s  plenty  of  chance 
for  him  to  show  what  stuff  he’s  made  of, 
and  if  we  get  back  all  right  we  may  be 
able  to  take  him  next  year.  The  boy’s  a 
little  wild,  and  it  won’t  do  him  any  good 
to  go  to  Natchez — all  devildom  is  loose  at 
Natchez.  And  then  there  may  be  a French 
fleet  at  New  Orleans.  There  may  be 
fighting.  The  Spaniards  may  have  shut 
the  city  in  our  faces.  We  may  have  to 
fight  to  be  allowed  to  land,  but  if  we  do 
have  to,  I guess  ten  thousand  or  so  rivermen 
will  help  us  to  show  the  Spanish  governor 

30 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


whether  he  can  shut  the  gate  of  the  world 
to  us  Americans.” 

‘‘Ye  think  there’s  any  truth  in  that  tale 
of  Bonaparte’s  seizing  the  Mississippi,  son?” 

“No,”  said  the  captain,  “I  don’t.” 
“ I believe  Jefferson  is  going  to  buy  out 
the  Spaniards  or  drive  them  home,  and  that 
the  country  will  belong  to  us  clear  to  the 
sea.” 

“ Hm,”  said  the  old  man.  “ Well,  son, 
if  there’s  goin’  to  be  any  such  doings  down 
to  New  Orleans,  I’d  be  terrible  sorry  for 
Jimmy  to  miss  it.  I reckon  I couldn’t  very 
well  leave  Maria.  I expect  I’m  pretty 
tolerable  old  for  a trip  like  what  you  say  it 
is  to  go  down  the  river,  even  when  every- 
thing is  fav’rable.  I’d  mebby  do  best  to 
cossett  what’s  left  of  my  scalp  and  not  run 
the  risk  of  losing  it  to  a strange  Indian 
when  I could  just  as  easy  lose  it  to  one 
nearer  home.  I don’t  reckon  Maria  would 
consent  to  my  going,  but  I’d  set  a right 

31 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


smart  store  on  one  of  our  family  havin’  a 
hand  in  them  doin’s  down  to  New  Orleans, 
and  I reckon  them  rivermen  at  Natchez 
won’t  corrupt  Jim  any  more  than  the 
roustabouts  around  Marietta  shipyard.  I just 
reckon  you’ll  have  to  take  him  along,  son.” 

There  was  no  resentment  whatever  in 
the  old  man’s  tone.  He  made  no  defense 
of  Jimmy,  although  Jimmy  was  his  idolized 
grandson,  and  Jimmy’s  father  had  been 
taken  captive  by  the  Indians  before  Jimmy 
was  a year  old — which  was  sixteen  years 
ago — and  nothing  had  ever  been  heard  of 
him.  But  Uncle  Amasa  had  lived  as  a 
pioneer  among  pioneers,  where  every  man 
had  to  stand  by  himself,  for  himself,  and  for 
those  whom  his  presence  protected.  He 
made  no  defense  of  Jimmy. 

There  was  an  uncomfortably  long  pause. 
They  were  near  enough  to  the  little  ship- 
yard at  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  so  that  they 
stopped  to  finish  their  discussion  before  they 
32 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


joined  the  men  who  were  working.  Little 
old  Uncle  Amasa  stood  shrunken  like  a 
withered  bush  on  which  a workman  had 
hung  his  coat  and  cap.  Captain  Royce 
faced  him,  young  and  alert  and  vigorous, 
sure  of  his  judgment,  but  reluctant  to  oppose 
the  old  man  whom  the  entire  settlement 
loved. 

‘‘  Uncle  Amasa,”  he  said  at  length, 
smiling  at  the  shrewd  light-gray  eyes  that 
looked  into  his,  ‘‘you’ve  always  been  too 
hasty.” 

“Aye,”  admitted  the  old  pioneer,  “and 
if  rd  been  a trifle  hastier,  Fd  a saved  my 
whole  scalp  instead  of  only  half  of  it.  It’s 
a grand  thing  to  be  hasty,  son,  when  you’re 
dealing  with  savages.” 

“You  were  hasty  when  you  bought  the 
still  without  considering  how  it  would 
affect  the  settlement  here,”  continued  the 
captain,  gravely.  “ Until  this  year,  good 
Master  Hempstead  and  his  like  had  to  go 
33 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


clear  to  Marietta  to  indulge  their  little  foi- 
bles. You  want  me  to  tell  you  why  you 
are  so  anxious  to  have  Jimmy  go  with  me 
on  this  trip  ? It’s  because  you  see  you  were 
too  hasty,  and  you  want  to  separate  him  as 
far  as  possible  from  that  new  still.  But  I’m 
afraid  that  you  can’t  do  that  so  long  as  I am 
taking  the  twenty  barrels  of  brandy  and 
whisky  along  in  the  cargo.  I’ll  take  the 
cargo,  or  I’ll  take  Jimmy.  I can’t  take 
both  even  for  all  the  things  you’ve  done  for 
me  and  mine,  and  for  the  help  you’ve  been 
in  building  the  ark  here.  As  long  as  I’m 
captain,  and  the  whole  settlement  has 
appointed  me  to  represent  them  in  disposing 
of  their  year’s  harvest  and  work,  I owe 
my  first  duty  to  the  safety  of  the  cargo 
and  the  lives  I’m  taking  along  with  me. 
The  Marietta  hands  will  have  no  right  in  the 
boat,  and  I can  handle  them  if  Jimmy  isn’t 
along  to  stir  up  insubordination.” 

‘‘  He’ll  be  along,”  said  Uncle  Amasa, 
34 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


cheerily.  ‘‘If  there  are  to  be  doin  s at 
New  Orleans,  Ed  like  for  him  to  see  them 
and  have  them  to  tell  to  his  children  when 
he  grows  old.  Life  is  pretty  much  all  in 
the  way  you  see  it,  and  Fve  seen  a heap, 
and  I want  that  Jimmy  should.  The  only 
comfort  Fve  ever  had  in  these  long  years 
since  his  pa  disappeared  is  been  in  thinking 
of  the  strange  secrets  he  must  have  got  to 
know.  I reckon  if  James  was  to  come  back 
from  captivity  alive,  Fd  be  so  curious  to 
hear  about  his  experiences  that  Fd  clean 
forget  to  rejoice  at  having  him  home  again.” 

The  young  captain  looked  at  Uncle 
Amasa.  Queer  characters  were  the  rule 
rather  than  the  exception  among  the  settlers 
who  had  willingly  turned  their  backs 
on  civilization  and  safety,  but  in  all  his 
experience  he  knew  of  no  other  pioneer 
whose  foolhardiness  could  be  inspired  by 
sheer  curiosity. 

“Do  you  mean  to  say.  Uncle  Amasa, 
35 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


that  since  you  can’t  go  yourself  the  chance 
of  your  grandson  seeing  new  things  makes 
you  insist  upon  my  taking  him,  even  if  his 
presence  jeopardizes  the  welfare  and  success 
of  the  whole  expedition  ?” 

‘‘Jimmy  will  be  good,  I reckon,”  said 
the  old  man,  “and  he’s  old  enough  now; 
so  I should  like  for  him  to  see  a little  of 
the  world.” 

“You’re  a shareholder,  like  the  rest  of 
us,”  said  the  captain,  “and  I don’t  mean  to 
seem  disrespectful ; but  I think  you’re  acting 
hastily.  Uncle  Amasa,  and  I hope  you  won’t 
encourage  Jimmy  to  feel  that  he  has  a right 
to  come  without  my  consent,  for  I should 
have  to  put  him  off,  and  that  would  be  a 
humiliation,  and  I don’t  want  to  embitter 
him  any  more  than  I can  help.  But  I 
won’t  have  him  on  the  ark,  and  that’s  all  I 
can  say  about  it.” 

“Well,  well,  we  won’t  discuss  it,  son; 
we  won’t  discuss  it  at  all,”  said  Uncle 
36 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


Amasa.  ‘‘But  Fd  like  to  know  how  ye 
think  I would  look  going  back  to  his 
widowed  mother  and  telling  her  that  you 
didn’t  trust  her  only  son  to  conduct  himself 
as  bravely  as  any  of  you?” 

A smile  broke  over  the  young  captain’s 
face  at  the  idea  of  any  such  message  going 
to  the  acrid  lady  who  had  made  the 
Claiborne’s  home-clearing  a place  to  be 
cautiously  approached  and  discreetly  avoided. 
“I  wouldn’t  say  anything  to  Maria  at  all,” 
he  advised.  “ I would  just  gradually  get 
Jimmy  out  of  the  notion.” 

The  captain  felt  that  he  had  not  come 
out  of  the  argument  at  all  well.  It  seemed 
rather  absurd  for  a man  to  set  himself 
against  a boy — a boy,  moreover,  whom  he 
had  seen  grow  up — but  there  were  so  many 
reasons  for  Jimmy’s  own  sake  why  he 
should  not  be  allowed  to  go  that  Uncle 
Amasa’s  calm  refusal  to  even  consider  them 
filled  him  with  uneasiness.  If  the  grand- 
37 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


son  proved  as  unimpressionable  as  the 
grandfather,  there  was  trouble  ahead.  And 
Marion  Royce  felt  that  he  was  undertaking 
enough  in  this  venture  without  adding  any- 
thing that  might  bring  about  disorder  or 
mutiny. 

They  went  down  the  hill,  the  captain 
silent.  Uncle  Amasa  gossiping  cheerily  as 
a snow-bird,  and  both  men  were  soon  at 
work  on  the  great  ninety-foot  ark  or 
‘‘broadhorn”  that  still  rested  on  its  rude 
ways  at  the  edge  of  the  creek. 

‘‘  We’ll  get  it  into  the  water  before 
night,”  said  the  captain,  looking  lovingly 
at  the  unweildy  bulk  that  was  more  like  a 
scow,  built  to  be  towed,  than  like  a boat 
designed  to  navigate  itself  among  channels 
and  currents.  It  would,  indeed,  be  more 
at  the  mercy  of  the  elements  than  any  scow, 
because  its  high  freeboard  would  catch  the 
wind  as  well  as  its  clumsy  upper  deck.  It 
was  built  of  rough  hewn  timbers,  and  put 

38 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


together  with  pins  and  treenails,  so  that  it 
could  be  readily  taken  apart  and  sold  as 
lumber  for  house-building  in  New  Orleans, 
when  its  service  as  a cargo  boat  should  be 
over. 

Jonas  Sparks,  the  old  Marietta  ship- 
wright, who  was  overseeing  the  work, 
nodded  at  the  captain.  There  was  still  a 
vast  amount  of  decking  or  roofing  to  be 
done,  and  for  this  some  of  the  lumber  was 
still  to  be  brought  over  from  Marietta  saw- 
mill. 

“It  would  be  a good  job  done,’*  said 
Jonas  Sparks,  “if  you  could  get  your 
timber  sawed  up  to  Marietta  while  she 
is  swelling.  It  will  save  that  much 
time.” 

“ The  new  Pittsburgh  mill  hands  haven’t 
come,”  said  the  captain,  “and  they  can’t 
get  enough  men  at  Marietta  to  work  on 
the  new  brig  and  run  the  mill.  The  men 
won’t  work.  I expect  we’ll  have  to  go  up 
39 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

and  saw  the  lumber  ourselves.  What  do 
you  think?’’ 

‘‘Well,”  said  Jonas,  to  whom  the  diffi- 
culty of  getting  any  sort  of  skilled  or  regular 
labor  was  too  familiar  to  cause  annoyance, 
“we’ll  just  put  her  into  the  water  and  see 
what  can  be  done  about  getting  the  boards. 
There  comes  Charlie  Hoyt  with  another 
load  of  the  Claiborne’s  whisky.” 

A wagon  team  was  drawing  into  the 
shipyard  clearing  with  a load  of  casks. 
Everyone  about  the  ark  went  to  the  shed 
in  which  the  cargo  for  the  ark  was  being 
gradually  piled  up,  and  soon  the  men  were 
busy  helping  Charlie  Hoyt  unload.  When 
he  had  finally  driven  off  again,  considerable 
time  had  been  wasted,  and  in  the  afternoon, 
when  the  boys  trooped  down  after  school 
to  help  in  the  launching,  they  found  that  it 
had  been  necessary  to  postpone  it  for 
another  day.  Next  month,  when  the  river 
should  have  risen  with  the  melting  snows, 
40 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


the  delay  of  a day  might  mean  all  the  dif- 
ference between  success  and  failure,  safety 
and  total  wreck.  But  the  Ohio  was  still 
locked  between  its  ice  banks,  below  the 
mouth  of  the  creek,  and  a day  meant  little 
or  nothing  to  the  pioneers  of  the  wilder- 
ness. 

As  thieving  Indians  occasionally  slipped 
into  the  clearings  at  night,  Jonas  Sparks 
had  volunteered  to  sleep  in  the  shed,  which 
served  as  storage  warehouse  for  such  por- 
tions of  the  cargo  as  the  settlers  had  already 
brought  down.  He  took  his  meals  at  the 
Royces,  however,  and  it  was  sometimes  late 
before  he  picked  up  his  lantern  and  his  rifle 
and  went  over  to  the  shipyard. 

It  was  late  that  night.  There  was  no 
moon,  and  his  lighted  lantern  showed  the 
tree  trunks  like  moving  shapes  in  the  snow ; 
but  the  old  shipwright  trudged  along  as 
fearless  as  in  the  open  day,  swinging  his 
lantern  as  if  it  did  not  make  him  a target 


41 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


for  any  unseen  red  or  white  enemy  who 
might  be  skulking  through  the  woods. 

Suddenly  he  began  to  run.  Flames  had 
shot  up  in  the  clearing  around  the  shipyard, 
and  he  heard  the  crackle  of  the  huge  pillar 
of  fire  that  flared  and  waved  to  the  height 
of  the  treetops. 

‘‘The  ark  is  burning!’’  he  shouted, 
forgetting  in  his  excitement  that  no  one 
could  possibly  hear  him.  He  rushed  down 
to  the  clearing  and  saw  the  great  flames 
lapping  up  the  shed  like  thirsty  dogs. 
Bright  embers  floated  out  over  the  trees, 
and  some  circled  down  onto  the  ark,  which 
had  not  yet  begun  to  burn.  As  the  old 
shipbuilder  saw  all  this,  he  realized  that 
the  fire  was  too  far  along  for  anyone  to  stop 
it  or  to  hope  to  save  any  of  the  cargo  in 
the  shed.  The  light  in  the  sky  would  soon 
bring  all  the  settlers  in  the  neighborhood, 
accustomed  as  they  were  to  an  alert  vigilance 
against  Indian  surprises.  So  he  hurried 
42 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


down  to  the  creek  to  break  through  the 
covering  of  snowy  ice  and  carry  bucketful 
upon  bucketful  of  water,  which  he  poured 
over  the  half-decked  boat.  The  intense 
heat  of  the  lire  so  close  at  hand  was  scorch- 
ing the  timbers  and  the  steam  rose  in  white 
masses  as  the  icy  creek  water  ran  in  thin 
streams  over  the  ark. 

Marion  Royce  was  the  first  to  reach  the 
fire.  The  flames  were  at  their  height, 
waving  long  streamers  above  the  treetops  so 
that  their  light  could  be  seen  for  ten  miles 
down  the  river,  and  settlers  farther  down 
thought  that  Marietta  was  burning. 

‘‘What  could  have  started  it?”  asked 
the  captain,  as  he  and  Jonas  came  up  from 
the  creek  with  a hogshead  nearly  filled 
between  them. 

“ I can’t  imagine,”  said  the  shipbuilder. 
“The  Indians  would  rather  have  stolen 
the  stuff  than  burnt  it  up,  and  no  one  round 
hereabouts  has  any  grudge  agin’  the  ark.” 

43 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


‘‘You  didn’t  see  anyone?”  asked  the 
captain. 

“ No  one  but  Jimmy  Claiborne,”  an- 
swered Jonas.  “Just  as  I came  into  the 
clearing  I saw  him  runnin’  for  dear  life 
along  the  road  to  the  Ayreses,  to  get  help, 
I reckon,  and  that’s  why  I didn’t  lose  any 
time  carryin’  the  alarm.  I knew  he’d  take 
it.” 

“Jimmy  Claiborne!”  echoed  the  cap- 
tain. A thought  flashed  into  his  mind,  but 
he  refused  to  consider  it. 

“ I wonder  if  we  couldn’t  slide  the 
blocks  out  from  under  her  and  let  her  drop 
down  the  ways,”  he  said.  “ She’s  begin- 
ning to  burn  here  at  the  bow,  from  the 
heat.  We  can’t  keep  her  from  burning. 
The  ways  are  bound  to  go.  Look,  Jonas  1 
Merciful  goodness — Look  out  1 ” 

The  shed  had  caved  in.  The  column 
of  fire  hung  for  a moment  like  the  jet  of  a 
waterspout,  then  dropped  back  into  the 


44 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 

heart  of  the  fire,  and  the  flames  billowed 
out  in  a huge  circle  that  swept  the  bows  of 
the  ark  and  curled  in  blue  threads  about 
the  ways  on  which  it  rested. 

‘‘We  can’t  do  it  singlehanded,”  shouted 
Jonas,  above  the  terrible  roar  of  the  fire. 
“We  can’t  move  it.  It’s  got  to  go  unless 
somebody  comes  to  help  us.  It’s  frozen  to 
the  ways  and  the  tackle  is  all  in  the  shed.” 

“We’ve  got  to  do  it,”  the  captain 
shouted  back.  He  took  up  a puncheon 
maul  and  began  desperately  pounding  at  the 
blocks  that  kept  the  ninety-foot  hull  from 
dropping  down  the  snowy,  ice-crusted  ways. 

“ Great  stars,  man,  can’t  you  let  it 
alone .?  ” cried  the  shipwright.  “ Can’t 
you  see  that  even  if  you  did  start  her  she’d 
smash  herself  on  the  bottom  of  the  creek? 
We’ve  got  to  have  men  and  tackle  to  let 
her  down.” 

There  was  a shout  from  the  edge  of  the 
clearing,  and  Jonas  and  the  captain  turned  to 
45 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


see  Moses  Ayer  and  Lewis  Hoyt  and  Louis 
Gist  come  plunging  towards  them,  having 
outrun  their  elders  who  were  following. 

‘‘  Run  to  Uncle  Amasa’s  to  get  his 
hoisting  tackle,”  cried  Jonas  to  Louis  Gist. 
“We’ve  got  to  launch  the  ark,  and  every- 
thing we  had  here  is  burning  up  in  the 
shed.  Here,  Mose,  come  and  tote  water.” 

The  two  boys  hurried  to  carry  out  his 
orders,  and  Lewis  Hoyt  caught  up  a board 
and  began  shoveling  snow  onto  the  ark. 
The  heat  was  frightful,  and  the  boys  smelt 
their  buckskins  singeing  as  they  rushed 
about  the  fire,  and  the  cinders  fell  on 
them. 

“Where’s  Jimmy  Claiborne?”  asked 
Moses  Ayer  when  Louis  came  back  alone 
with  the  rope  and  tackle,  staggering  under 
the  weight  of  the  heavy  coil. 

“Wasn’t  there,”  gasped  Louis.  “Uncle 
Amasa’s  on  the  way,  though.” 

Marion  Royce  turned  sharply  to  Moses. 

46 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


‘‘Jimmy  went  to  your  house  to  give  the 
alarm/’  he  said. 

“He  never  came  to  our  house,”  declared 
Moses.  “ I saw  the  fire  myself,  through 
the  chink  over  my  bed  where  the  plug  has 
come  out.  I called  Pop  and  came  over. 
Jimmy  never  came  near  us.” 

The  captain’s  face  set.  “We’ve  no 
time  to  bother  about  Jimmy,  now,”  he 
said.  “One  of  you  carry  this  tackle  into 
that  biggest  walnut  tree  and  make  it  fast 
about  fifteen  feet  above  the  ground.  It’s 
only  to  steady  the  strain  as  she  drops  down. 
Make  it  fast,  though.  We  don’t  want  it 
giving  way.” 

Moses  was  already  half  way  to  the  tree. 
“ All  right,”  he  shouted. 

Lighted  only  by  the  fire  that  reflected 
red  pools  in  the  snow,  the  men  and  boys 
worked  at  the  launching  that  should  save 
the  ark.  The  great  flatboat  was  frozen  to 
the  ways,  and  it  seemed  as  if  nothing  but 
47 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


superhuman  power  would  ever  start  it. 
Then,  suddenly,  an  appalling  report  came 
from  the  burning  shed.  The  ground  shook 
with  it,  and  the  flames  burst  out  again  into 
vast  torches  that  flared  above  the  trees  a 
moment  and  then  fell  back  extinguished. 
Timbers  and  brands  of  fire  shot  hither  and 
thither  through  the  air.  The  men  sprung 
away  with  terrorized  faces. 

‘‘  The  whisky  casks  have  burst,”  said 
the  captain.  “I  thought  they  had  gone 
long  ago.  Is  anyone  hurt?” 

At  the  edge  of  the  clearing  the  light  of  the 
flames  showed  a figure  outstretched — a grim 
patch  of  darkness  on  the  reddened  snow. 

Lewis  Hoyt  was  the  first  to  reach  it. 
He  turned  to  face  the  anxious  men  who 
hurried  to  him. 

‘‘It’s  Master  Hempstead!”  he  cried. 
“He  isn’t  killed.  This  beam  must  have 
struck  him  and  knocked  him  down  as  he 
was  coming  to  the  fire.” 

48 


THE  ARK  IS  LAUNCHED 


Half  a dozen  men  bent  down  to  examine 
the  crumpled  figure  of  the  unconscious 
schoolmaster,  and  as  they  were  separating 
to  let  the  captain  and  Charlie  Hoyt  carry 
him  away  to  be  cared  for  by  the  women  at 
the  Royces,  a shout  made  them  turn  to  the 
fire  again. 

The  ark ! ” cried  a dozen  voices. 

The  ark  is  going  ! ” 

The  vibration  of  the  explosion  had 
accomplished  what  the  men  alone  could 
not  have  done,  and  the  ark  was  slipping 
down  the  ways. 

‘‘Here,”  cried  Marion  Royce,  “take 
this,”  and  quite  unconscious  that  it  was  a 
human  being  whom  he  was  handing  over 
absently,  he  dashed  back  to  the  assistance 
of  Jonas  Sparks. 

But  by  the  time  he  reached  the  ways 
the  ark  was  grinding  the  ice  of  the  creek, 
her  bottom  scraping  the  bed  of  the  shallow 
stream. 


49 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Moses  Ayer  came  up,  trembling  from 
the  terrible  strain  on  the  windlass  when  the 
ark  shot  down.  The  perspiration  was 
raining  down  his  drawn,  excited  face. 

She’s  launched ! ” he  said. 


50 


CHAPTER  III 


JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK 

AS  the  captain  handed  over  the 
^ schoolmaster’s  inert  form, 

he  was  too  full  of  alarm 

L to  notice  that  the  arms 
which  received  it  were 
Jimmy  Claiborne’s. 

‘‘  Is  he  dead  ?”  asked 
Jimmy,  in  a hoarse  whisper. 
Charlie  Hoyt  stared  at  him.  “ Dod 
rot!”  he  ejaculated.  “You’re  trembling  I 
What’s  the  matter  with  you  ? The  master’s 
not  dead.  Look  at  that.” 

Then  Jimmy  saw  the  school-mas- 

ter’s breath  coming  faintly  like  a frosty 
thread.  He  drew  his  own  breath  more 
freely. 

“ If  you’re  afraid  to  carry  him.  I’ll  call 
Mose,”  went  on  Charlie.  “ He’s  hurt  on 

51 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

the  head.  If  it  weren’t  for  that  we  could 
leave  him  over  there  by  the  fire  till  he 
sobers  up.  I wonder  where  he  got  it. 
Stocked  up  at  Marietta,  most  likely.  Here’s 
part  of  a corn-bin  cover,  shot  out  of  the 
fire.  We  can  lay  him  on  that.  It  will 
carry  better.” 

The  long  bin  cover,  with  its  charred 
edges,  was  a clumsy  thing  to  carry,  and  the 
two  stumbled  slowly  along  the  dark  path 
to  the  Royce’s  cabin.  They  set  their  bur- 
den down  several  times  to  rest  and  get  a 
better  hold.  Once  Charlie  fell  and  the 
schoolmaster  slid  from  his  rude  stretcher 
into  the  snow.  Perspiring  and  breathless 
they  picked  him  up  again  and  went  heavily 
on. 

Several  women  had  gathered  at  the 
Royce’s  from  the  neighboring  cabins. 
They  were  all  brave  women,  used  to  the 
alarms  and  hardships  of  their  wild  life,  and 
they  received  the  little  party,  that  looked  so 

52 


JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK 

much  grimmer  than  it  was,  without  ex- 
citement. 

‘Ht  looks  to  me  kinder  like  a fight,” 
said  Charlie,  when  he  had  examined  the 
master’s  bruises  carefully  in  the  light  of  a 
tallow  dip. 

‘‘  It  must  have  been  a fight,”  said  Mrs. 
Royce.  ‘‘  That  is  never  a blow  from  a 
flying  timber.  His  eye  is  puffing  up,  too. 
He  couldn’t  have  been  lying  long  when  you 
found  him.” 

The  master  roused  a little.  His  arm 
went  out  as  if  to  ward  a blow.  ‘‘  They’ll 
drive — me — out,”  he  muttered.  “How — 
tish  y’se’f — cherished  ’n  my  bosom — ’n  ye 
turn — gainsht  me.”  His  arm  fell  and  he 
began  to  weep;  a pitiable  object. 

Jimmy  had  taken  no  part  in  his  resusci- 
tation. He  stood  looking  into  the  fire, 
beside  the  hearth.  Now  that  he  no  longer 
feared  that  the  schoolmaster  would  die,  he 
was  absorbed  in  his  own  sullen  thoughts. 

S3 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Milly  Ayer  saw  his  look,  and  his  clenched 
hands,  and  went  over  to  him. 

“You  didn’t  come  back  to  school,”  she 
said.  “We  missed  you.” 

“I’ll  never  go  back  to  that  school,”  he 
answered.  She  could  see  the  flush  creep 
over  his  dark  face. 

“Oh,  Jimmy!”  she  said.  “When 
there’s  hardly  a month  more  before  every- 
body will  be  going  off  on  the  ark  ? ” 

“That’s  why.” 

Milly  reddened.  She  had  forgotten  in 
the  excitement  of  the  fire  the  trouble  of 
the  morning  that  had  brought  the  quarrel 
between  Jimmy  and  Louis  Gist.  She  was 
about  to  tell  him  that  Marion  would  change 
his  mind,  when  the  door  flew  open  and 
her  brother  Mose  and  Shadwell  Lincoln 
burst  in. 

“The  ark  is  all  safe,”  they  both  cried 
at  once.  “The  men  are  going  to  stay 
about  and  watch,  though.  Everything’s 
54 


JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK 


gone.  All  the  flax,  and  the  HoyCs  corn, 
and  the  Claiborne  whisky.  And  pretty 
near  all  the  carpentering  tools  of  the  neigh- 
borhood.” 

It  was  a grave  loss.  Tools  were  ex- 
pensive and  hard  to  get,  and  the  rotted  flax 
that  had  been  stored  in  the  shed  had  been 
intended  to  clothe  the  settlement  for  a year. 

“Has  anyone  found  out  who  started  it?” 
asked  Mrs.  Royce,  to  turn  the  thoughts  of 
the  others  from  their  common  loss. 

Moses  threw  a meaning  look  toward 
Jimmy  Claiborne.  “We  haven’t  found  outf 
he  said,  with  hot-headed  emphasis,  “but 
everybody  has  a suspicion.  It  was  done  by 
someone  who  had  a grudge  agin  the  ark 
and  wanted  to  set  it  afire  to  spite  Marion 
Royce.  The  ark’s  built  of  such  heavy 
timber  that  it  wouldn’t  burn  easily,  but  if 
the  shed  burned  the  ark  was  bound  to  go 
with  it.  And  it  would  have  gone,  too,  if 
Jonas  and  Marion  hadn’t  saved  it.” 

55 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


^‘No  one  in  the  settlement  would  have 
taken  such  a revenge  as  that,”  said  Mrs. 
Royce. 

“ Just  you  wait  and  see,”  said  Mose.  He 
was  boiling  with  indignation.  Not  that  he 
had  anything  against  Jimmy  Claiborne, 
himself.  He  was  simply  a born  partisan. 
Whatever  came  up,  he  must  take  sides  and, 
usually,  come  to  blows  to  settle  it.  Until 
a blow  had  been  struck,  Mose  seldom 
considered  a matter  disposed  of.  He  bore 
upon  his  person  the  evidence  that  he  lived 
up  to  his  point  of  view.  ‘‘  I guess  whoever 
did  it  will  be  found  out  pretty  soon,  and 
’pears  to  me  Fish  Creek  won’t  be  the  place 
for  him  after  that.” 

The  women  who  had  joined  in  the 
growing  disapproval  of  the  Claibornes  in 
regard  to  bringing  a still  into  Fish  Creek 
settlement  found  themselves  embarrassed  at 
having  the  prejudice  taking  such  direct 
expression.  They  wished  they  had  not  all 

56 


JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK 


spoken  so  openly  before  those  who  were  too 
young  to  reason  or  be  discreet.  It  was 
Milly  who  saved  the  situation. 

‘‘  I ought  to  go  home,”  she  said. 
“ Mother  and  the  children  are  alone.  Mose, 
are  you  coming?” 

‘‘  I can’t,”  said  Mose.  Eve  got  to 
help  Marion.  He  wants  me  to  be  on  hand. 
Mebby  to-morrow  he’ll  want  us  to  start  up 
to  Marietta  to  help  cut  the  lumber,  if  the 
new  hands  don’t  get  there  from  Pittsburgh. 
The  new  brig’s  keeping  everyone  busy  over 
to  Marietta.” 

‘‘Jimmy,”  said  Milly,  “will  you  take 
me?  ” 

Jimmy  reached  for  a rifle  that  stood 
among  several  muskets  in  a rude  rack  near 
the  fireplace.  The  Ayers’  clearing  was  one 
of  the  farthest  away,  and  while  the  neigh- 
borhood had  been  safe  from  prowling 
Indians  for  over  a year  the  men  still  went 
about  armed  at  night.  He  looked  carefully 
57 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


to  the  flint  and  priming,  and  taking  it  in 
his  arm,  waited  for  her  while  she  said  good- 
night. 

For  awhile  they  trudged  in  silence. 
Mose’s  ill-considered  words  were  ringing  in 
their  ears.  As  they  skirted  the  shipyard 
clearing  they  saw  the  men  silhouetted  against 
the  burning  heap  of  ruins.  Jimmy  gripped 
his  rifle  in  a spasm  of  unreasoning  hate. 
He  wondered  how  little  old  Uncle  Amasa 
could  be  among  them ; friendly,  wise,  har- 
boring no  resentment. 

‘‘  Isn’t  that  Uncle  Amasa,  there  by  the 
maple  tree.?”  asked  Milly. 

‘‘Yes,  that’s  him,”  said  Jimmy. 
“’Twouldn’t  be  me^  that’s  certain.” 

“It’s  all  a mistake,”  said  Milly.  “You 
mustn’t  think  of  what  schoolboys  say.” 

“ I guess  they  heard  their  elders  say  it. 
It  wouldn’t  have  come  popping  into  their 
heads  alone.” 

“You  mustn’t  mind,”  she  said. 

S8 


JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK 


‘‘You  don’t  catch  me  minding,”  said 
Jimmy,  throwing  his  head  back.  “ I’m  not 
through  with  Fish  Creek  settlement  yet.” 

There  was  a long  silence,  broken  only 
by  their  feet  in  the  crusted  snow.  Milly 
thought  pityingly  of  the  thankless  home 
that  Maria  Claiborne  had  made  for  Jimmy 
and  his  grandfather.  She  wished  that 
Marion  had  not  said  so  positively  that  he 
would  not  have  Jimmy  on  the  ark.  She 
would  talk  to  Marion  to-morrow  and  try  to 
win  him  over.  Now  that  the  Claiborne 
cargo  was  destroyed,  he  would  be  apt  to  re- 
consider. 

“You  may  get  a chance  to  go  to  New 
Orleans,  after  all,”  she  said.  “ You  mustn’t 
blame  Marion,  Jimmy.  Think  of  the  re- 
sponsibility he  will  have,  every  day  and  night 
of  that  longjourney — and,  perhaps,  fighting.” 

“ Well,  I guess  I can  hold  up  my  end  of 
the  fighting,”  said  Jimmy.  “ I never  failed 
to  do  it  yet.” 


59 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


‘‘That’s  the  trouble,”  said  Milly.  “You 
and  Kenton  and  McAfee  are  so  quarrelsome.” 

“I  know  what  you  mean,  Milly,”  said 
Jimmy,  feeling  his  heart  harden  against 
even  her  friendliness.  “You’re  going  to 
try  to  persuade  Marion  to  take  me.  Well, 
I ain’t  going  to  have  you  do  it.  I won’t  go. 
Not  that  way.  Marion’s  got  to  take  me 
because  I’m  as  good  a man  as  the  rest  of ’em, 
or  I don’t  go.  And  if  he  should  happen  to 
change  his  mind  and  want  me,  he’ll  have  to 
ask  me  mighty  perticular.  I won’t  be  hang- 
ing round  having  every  one  point  to  me  as 
the  boy  that  set  fire  to  the  building  shed.” 

“ What  are  you  going  to  do  ? ” she  asked, 
anxiously.  “ Oh,  Jimmy,  promise  me  that 
it  won’t  be  something  you’ll  be  sorry  for.” 

“ Sorry  ? I guess  not.  I haven’t  decided 
what  I’ll  do  yet,”  he  added.  “I’m  going 
down  to  my  place  and  think  about  it,  and 
mebby  get  some  beaver  skins.  The  last  time 
I was  down  I saw  signs  of  them  on  a little 
6o 


JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK 

creek.  They're  mighty  scarce  now.  Uncle 
Amasa  says  they  won’t  be  a beaver  between 
here  and  Cincinnati  next  year.” 

Milly  felt  relieved.  The  place  Jimmy 
spoke  of  was  an  almost  unbroken  strip  of 
forest,  about  five  miles  away,  on  which 
Jimmy  had  made  ‘‘tomahawk  improve- 
ments ” — girdled  a few  trees  and  planted  a 
little  patch  of  corn.  He  and  Uncle  Amasa 
had  built  a cabin  there,  and  sometimes 
stayed  there  for  weeks  on  end  when  Maria 
was  more  than  usually  fiery- tempered. 
Trappers  knew  the  little  cabin  well. 

“ You  won’t  go  till  Marion  gets  through 
with  the  lumber  sawing?”  she  asked. 
“There’ll  be  so  few  men  at  the  settlement 
if  they  have  to  help  saw  lumber  up  at 
Marietta.” 

Jimmy  could  not  see  her  face,  but  her 
matter-of-course  tone  staggered  him.  He 
wondered  if  girls  could  really  feel  things — 
if  they  had  real  pride;  if  they  understood 
6i 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


what  it  was  to  smart  under  a wrong  until 
the  pain  cried  for  a sharp  revenge.  He 
shut  his  teeth  on  the  hard  words  that  came 
to  him,  and  after  a moment,  said  quietly: 

^‘No,  Milly.  I can’t  wait.  I’ve  got 
to  get  away.  I guess  I wasn’t  made  for 
civilization.  I guess  I don’t  fit.” 

They  were  entering  the  clearing  about 
the  Ayers’  cabin.  Light  came  through  the 
window,  showing  that  the  fire  was  being 
kept  up  and  that  those  within  were  astir. 

‘H’ll  watch  you  inside  the  door,” 
Jimmy  said,  halting  in  the  path. 

‘‘Won’t  you  come  in?”  she  begged. 
“You  can  sleep  in  Mose’s  shake-down  in 
the  loft.” 

A little  shiver  passed  through  him. 
“In  Mosers  shake-down?”  he  repeated. 
“ No,  I’m  obliged  to  you  just  as  much.  I’ll 
trouble  you  to  keep  this  gun  for  Marion. 
It’s  his.  I won’t  have  a chance  to  re- 
turn it.” 


62 


JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK 

“ Why,  Jimmy,  you  aren’t  going  into 
the  woods  to-night  ? ” 

‘‘Why  not?”  he  asked.  “Haven’t  I 
been  in  the  woods  at  night  before  this  ? 
Run  in,  now.  Good  night,  Milly.” 

The  girl  stood,  helpless  against  the 
bitterness  in  his  guarded  voice. 

“ Good  night,  Milly.” 

“Good  night,”  she  faltered.  “Oh, 
Jimmy,  it’s  perfectly  terrible  for  you  to 
go .” 

She  moved  slowly  towards  the  door. 
He  watched  her  indistinct  figure  blend  into 
the  shadow  of  the  cabin  wall.  Then  the 
door  opened,  letting  a flood  of  light  across 
the  snow.  Mrs.  Ayer  stood  in  the  doorway 
a moment  while  Milly  said  something  to 
her,  and  then  she  called : 

“Jimmy  Claiborne,  come  in  this  min- 
ute, child ! ” 

Jimmy  slipped  behind  a tree. 

“Jimmy?” 


63 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Still  he  made  no  answer.  The  warmth 
and  the  sight  of  the  two  women  waiting 
for  him,  with  nothing  but  kindness  and 
tenderness  in  their  hearts,  moved  him 
strangely.  He  was  so  unused  to  it.  But 
he  did  not  answer,  and  after  waiting  a 
moment  longer  they  stepped  back  inside 
and  the  door  shut  them  from  his  sight. 

Choking  down  something  that  smarted 
in  his  throat,  he  strode  away  from  the 
clearing. 

Twenty  minutes  later  he  had  reached 
the  Claiborne  home  cabin.  He  knocked 
sharply  on  the  door. 

‘‘Let  me  in,'’  he  shouted.  “Ma! 
It's  me.  I want  to  get  my  gun." 

No  answer  came  from  within.  He 
pounded  with  both  fists.  “ Ma ! " he  re- 
peated. 

After  awhile  he  realized  that  his  mother 
must  be  awake,  and  he  changed  his  voice 
from  a shout  to  a conversational  tone.  “ I 
64 


JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK 


only  want  my  gun,”  he  said,  persuasively. 
“ There’s  been  a big  fire  at  the  shipyard, 
and  all  our  whisky’s  burned  up.  Let  me 
in  and  I’ll  tell  you  about  it.” 

He  began  to  narrate  the  events  of  the 
night,  taking  heart  as  he  heard  a slight  stir 
inside  the  cabin.  He  talked  on,  apparently 
telling  the  story  to  the  panel  of  the  thick, 
treenail  - studded  door.  When  he  had 
finished  he  repeated  his  petition,  “ I only 
want  my  gun,  Ma.” 

The  one  window  opened  a crack  and 
something  struck  Jimmy  on  the  head.  It 
was  a powder  horn.  Then  his  gun  came 
rattling  after  it,  and  the  window  shut  deci- 
sively. Jimmy  picked  up  his  gun. 

‘‘  I hope  Uncle  Amasa  don’t  calculate  to 
come  back  to-night,”  he  reflected.  I guess 
Ma  didn’t  like  his  going  off  like  that  to  the 
fire  and  leaving  the  cabin  unprotected.  But  la, 
it  would  be  a brave  Indian  that  would  break 
into  Ma’s  cabin  when  she  didn’t  want  him  to.” 

65 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

With  his  gun  in  his  arm  he  felt  himself 
again.  He  struck  - briskly  into  the  woods, 
following  paths  as  familiar  to  him  as  the 
roads  about  the  settlement.  Nothing  stirred 
the  deep  loneliness — but  he  was  not  lonely. 
He  crossed  the  Ayers’  tract,  the  four  hun- 
dred acres  belonging  to  the  Lincolns,  the 
Hoyts’  improved  lands,  crossed  a branch  of 
the  river  and  entered  the  unbroken  timber. 
There  was  almost  no  wind.  The  frosty  air 
still  gave  no  hint  of  morning,  and  the 
occasional  breaks  in  the  trees  showed  a sky 
brilliantly  crowded  with  stars. 

The  anger  died  slowly  out  of  him.  If 
he  had  turned  back  it  would  have  flamed 
up  again ; but,  as  he  drew  steadily  away  from 
the  scene  of  his  wounded  pride,  his  wrongs 
seemed  to  be  left  behind  and  he  felt  only 
the  drowsiness  of  his  long  tramp.  He 
would  have  been  glad  to  crawl  into  the 
hollow  of  a rotten  tree,  but  he  was  too 
wary,  and  he  held  on,  crunching  through 
66 


JIMMY  LEAVES  FISH  CREEK 

the  untrodden  snow,  his  feet  moving  in  a 
sort  of  rythm  with  the  unformed  thoughts 
that  kept  moving  in  his  brain.  The  dim 
knowledge  that  it  was  good  to  be  away 
from  other  human  beings,  who  disapproved 
of  his  restlessness — for  Jimmy’s  outbreaks 
were  always  the  result  of  restlessness — that 
it  would  be  good  to  creep  a little  further 
into  the  wilderness,  where  the  white  men 
had  never  yet  trod,  arid  that  this  was  what 
made  Uncle  Amasa  dwell  wistfully  on  the 
past  when  he  had  been  a pioneer  in  the 
territory — all  this  and  more  slipped  through 
his  thoughts.  The  spell  of  the  wilderness 
was  on  him,  and  he  looked  forward  to  the 
days  he  would  spend  in  the  hut,  watching 
his  traps  and  collecting  pelts  for  the  ark  to 
take  down  to  New  Orleans.  His  face  grew 
hard  again  as  the  thought  of  the  ark  crossed 
his  mind.  His  fist  clenched. 

‘‘  ril  pay  them,”  he  muttered. 


67 


CHAPTER  IV 


JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER 

S Jimmy  began  to  approach 
his  own  cabin  a long, 
mournful  howl  reached 
him  and  he  threw 
up  his  head  like  an  an- 
imal, scenting  danger. 
More  howls.  He 
stood  motionless,  listening.  For  a moment 
there  was  silence,  and  then  the  howling 
began  again.  It  was  not  growing  nearer. 

“ Timber  wolves,”  he  muttered.  “ IPs 
been  a hard  winter  and  they’re  coming 
nearer  the  settlements.  I wonder  what 
they’re  after.  Sounds  as  if  they  were  near 
the  cabin.” 

He  went  forward  briskly.  They  might 
have  come  about  the  cabin  to  see  if  they 
could  find  anything  in  the  traps.  One  of 


JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER 

them  might  even  have  tumbled  into  a 
turkey  trap.  They  did  not  stop  howling, 
but  the  howls  grew  more  and  more  distinct 
as  Jimmy  advanced. 

“ They’re  round  the  cabin,  as  sure 
as  judgment,”  he  said,  as  he  hurried 
along.  ‘‘  Some  fool  trapper’s  gone  and 
jerked  some  meat  up  against  the  wall  too 
high  for  them  to  reach  it.  Well,  I’m  not 
going  to  stay  outside  to  favor  all  the  wolves 
in  Ohio.” 

He  was  within  a hundred  yards  of  the 
cabin.  He  knew  it  by  the  fallen  maple 
that  he  clambered  over,  as  he  had  done  a 
hundred  times.  The  wolves  were  certainly 
at  the  cabin.  Between  their  howls  he 
could  hear  them  snarling  amongst  one 
another  and  scratching  like  dogs  against  the 
bark-covered  walls  of  the  hut. 

Suddenly  he  heard  a shot.  A sharp 
howl  of  rage  answered  it. 

There’s  one  gone,”  he  muttered.  That 
69 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


fool  trapper’s  tired  of  listening  to  ’em.”  He 
mechanically  fingered  his  own  gun. 

He  listened,  expecting  to  hear  another 
shot  when  the  trapper  had  had  time  to 
reload,  but  there  was  none.  The  wolves 
were  silent. 

“ Scared  ’em  away,”  he  thought,  advan- 
cing cautiously  from  tree  to  tree.  ^‘If  only 
he  don’t  have  the  idea  of  shooting  me,  this 
is  the  time  for  me  to  get  in.” 

He  stopped  again.  A thrill  of  horror 
shot  down  his  spine.  He  felt  his  hand  lose 
its  grip  on  the  rifle.  The  wolves  had 
broken  out  snarling  and  snapping,  but  the 
sound  that  sickened  him  was  the  cry  of  a 
man  in  deadly  peril.  Not  a cry  for  help, 
since  he  could  not  know  that  there  was 
help  anywhere  to  hear.  But  simply  the 
cry  of  a human  animal  at  bay,  and  then  the 
thick  blows  of  the  gun-butt  on  the  heads 
of  the  attacking  wolves. 

‘H’m  coming!”  shouted  Jimmy,  clutch- 
70 


JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER 


ing  his  rifle,  with  more  than  his  own 
strength  returned  to  him.  ^‘Hold  hard 
there ! Em  coming  ! ” 

Even  after  he  was  close  enough  to  get 
a sight  on  the  black  mass  that  snarled  and 
fought  together,  he  dared  not  shoot  for 
fear  of  hitting  the  man  he  was  trying  to 
save.  Then  he  made  him  out,  a taller 
shadow  than  the  rest,  pinned  against 
the  wall  of  the  cabin,  holding  off  the 
wolves  with  the  thick  blows  of  his  gun- 
butt. 

Aiming  at  the  outer  mass,  Jimmy 
cocked  his  rifle  and  fired.  Two  of  the 
grotesque  shapes  sprang  high  into  the  air 
and  fell  back  dead.  There  was  an  imme- 
diate fight  over  the  carcasses. 

Run  round  to  the  back,  and  push  in 
the  window!’’  cried  Jimmy.  “They’ll 
be  at  you  again  in  a minute.  Make  haste.” 

“ Can’t  move.  Leg’s  broken.” 

Jimmy  gave  a cry  of  dismay. 

71 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


“ Fire  into  ’em/*  said  the  man  against 
the  wall. 

Jimmy  loaded  quickly  and  fired  again. 
As  the  third  wolf  fell  the  others  drew 
away,  dragging  one  of  the  carcasses  with 
them.  The  man  against  the  wall  now  sent 
a bullet  after  them  and  they  broke  into 
flight. 

‘‘Quick,”  said  Jimmy,  “before  they 
come  back  !”  He  ran  to  the  man  and  put 
a shoulder  under  his  arm. 

“ That’s  my  good  leg,”  said  the  man, 
dryly  ; “ come  the  other  side.” 

“Well,  hurry,”  said  Jimmy.  “Here’s 
the  door.  There  ought  to  be  a staple 
about  here.  Steady  a minute.  Land  sakes, 
man,  don’t  faint  yet.  Wait  till  we’re  in- 
side. So — careful  of  the  sill.  Don’t  trip. 
You’re  all  right  now.  Drop  down  any- 
where. I must  get  the  door  fastened.  You 
can’t  strike  a light.?”  He  fumbled  hur- 
riedly with  the  staple  and  tongue  inside  the 
72 


JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER 

door.  Then  he  drew  a breath  of  thank- 
fulness. 

‘‘  Queer/’  he  said,  controlling  his  excite- 
ment, ‘‘  we  haven’t  had  any  wolves  here 
this  winter.  Did  you  bring  them  with  you, 
sir?” 

But  the  stranger  had  fainted. 

Jimmy  made  a light  and  set  a torch 
burning  in  a socket  against  the  wall.  Then 
he  examined  the  stranger’s  broken  leg. 
Then  he  looked  around  the  cabin.  It  was 
as  bare  of  restoratives  as  an  empty  corn- 
field. 

He  shook  the  stranger.  “Wake  up,” 
he  said.  “You’ve  got  to  tell  me  what  to 
do.” 

The  man  groaned,  and  finally  opened 
his  eyes  and  shivered.  “Make  a fire,”  he 
said. 

It  was  an  unwritten  code  that  whoever 
used  the  cabin  would  leave  wood  for  the 
next  comer  to  start  a fire  with,  and  Jimmy 
73 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


soon  had  a blaze  crackling.  Then,  under 
the  stranger’s  direction,  and  with  nothing 
more  than  a couple  of  splints  torn  from  the 
bunks  against  the  wall  and  some  rags  of  elk- 
skin  from  the  man’s  coat,  Jimmy  bound 
up  the  broken  leg. 

A sickly  light  was  coming  in  at  the 
little  cabin  window  by  the  time  this 
task  was  finished.  The  wolves  had  not 
been  heard  again,  but  as  Jimmy  pushed  the 
door  open  and  looked  out,  he  saw  that  the 
carcasses  of  the  three  dead  wolves  had  been 
dragged  away,  leaving  only  the  bloody 
traces  of  their  presence  in  the  trampled 
snow. 

“I’ve  a dead  horse  somewhere  down  by 
the  branch,”  the  stranger  said,  “ and  a few 
rations.  I don’t  know  if  you  could  find  the 
place.” 

“ That’s  all  right,”  said  Jimmy.  “ I’ve 
got  some  lye  hominy  hidden  here,  if  no 
one’s  discovered  it.” 


74 


JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER 


He  pulled  out  the  corn  shucks  that 
made  a mattress  for  one  of  the  bunks, 
lifted  a plank  and  drew  out  a bag  of  corn. 
From  the  same  recess  he  brought  a long- 
handled  spider. 

‘‘You’re  mighty  at  home  here,”  the 
stranger  commented. 

“ It’s  the  only  home  I’ve  got,”  said 
Jimmy,  with  sudden  fierceness.  “It’s 
mine.!’ 

The  stranger  looked  at  him  curiously. 

“Well,”  he  said  at  last,  “I’m  mighty 
glad  you  happened  along  just  when  you  did. 
I rode  by  here  about  sundown,  and  hailed, 
but  there  was  no  one  here.  Then  my 
horse  fell  through  a hole  down  by  the 
branch  and  broke  his  neck  and  my  leg,  and 
it  took  me  the  balance  of  the  night  to 
crawl  back  here,  only  to  get  set  on  by 
those  timber  wolves.  Law,  they  were 
famished.” 

“ What  were  you  doing  in  this  piece  of 

75 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

woods/’  Jimmy  asked,  ‘‘  so  far  off  the 
roads? ” 

‘‘Just  looking  round  for  a chance  to 
preempt  land.  Fm  on  my  way  down  the 
river,  really.  The  rest  of  my  party  are 
about  fifty  miles  below,  and  Fd  calculated 
to  join  ’em,  but  now  I suppose  Fm  laid  up 
here  for  weeks.” 

“It’s  too  bad,”  said  Jimmy.  “I  was 
going  down  the  river — going  down  on  a 
flatboat,  you  know,  with  the  fresh.  Marion 
Royce  is  getting  his  ark  ready.  I was 
going  with  him.” 

“And  ain’t  you  goin’?” 

“No,”  said  Jimmy,  “I  ain’t  going. 
Marion  says  he  don’t  trust  me.”  He  won- 
dered at  himself  as  he  said  it. 

The  stranger  was  silent.  Jimmy  went 
out  to  get  water,  carrying  his  loaded  gun 
in  case  the  wolves  came  back.  They  did 
not  show  themselves,  however,  and  he 
returned  with  water,  his  gun,  and  a turkey 

76 


JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER 


frozen  solid  and  covered  with  a light  coat 
of  snow. 

“ Found  him  in  one  of  my  traps,”  he 
explained. 

The  stranger,  who  had  moved  over 
with  Jimmy’s  help  to  one  of  the  bunks, 
looked  on  at  the  preparations  for  breakfast 
with  interest  varied  by  twinges  of  excru- 
ciating pain.  He  was  a small  man,  much 
bearded,  with  very  blue  eyes  as  sharp  as 
gimlets.  At  Marietta  Jimmy  would  have 
instinctively  avoided  him.  But  the  fact 
that  he  had  saved  the  man  from  a horrible 
death,  and  that  the  stranger  was  helpless 
with  his  broken  leg,  somehow  discounted 
his  intuitions,  and  he  tried  to  keep  him 
entertained  so  that  he  would  forget  his 
suffering.  He  told  of  the  way  he  lived 
weeks  at  a time  at  the  cabin,  and  trapped 
and  dressed  skins,  and  it  was  natural  that  in 
the  course  of  his  narrative  he  should  mention 
Uncle  Amasa,  who  so  often  shared  his  retreat. 
77 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


‘^Amasa?”  exclaimed  the  stranger. 
“ Amasa  Claiborne  ? ” 

‘‘  That’s  the  one, — my  grandfather.” 

The  man  ripped  out  an  oath.  ‘‘You 
don’t  mean  it,”  he  added  hastily.  “Why, 
I knew  your  grandpa, — why,  let  me  see,  it 
was  all  of  twenty  years  ago,  Tm  thinking. 
Yes,  that’s  what  it  was.  Do  you  think  he 
will  be  coming  here?” 

“ I’m  afraid  he  won’t.  He’s  helping 
Marion  Royce,”  answered  Jimmy.  “There’s 
a lot  to  be  done  yet,  and  not  enough  hands 
at  Marietta  to  work  the  mill.” 

“ I’m  sorry  to  hear  that,”  said  the 
stranger.  “ I’d  of  liked  to  see  him,  I tell 
ye.”  His  voice  expressed  more  relief  than 
regret,  but  Jimmy  was  too  busy  to  notice 
it.  “ Then  you’ll  be  James  Claiborne’s 
son,”  he  added.  “ I’ll  be  durned.” 

“Did  you  know  my  father?”  asked 
Jimmy. 

“Know  your  father?”  repeated  the 
78 


JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER 


stranger.  ‘‘  Do  I know  the  back  of  my 
hand?  Your  father  and  me  was  together 
no  longer  ago  than  last  spring  on  the 
Natchez  trace.” 

Jimmy  wheeled  round.  ‘‘What!”  he 
gasped.  “ My  father — living  V 

“ If  your  father’s  Jim  Claiborne,  son  of 
old  Unc.  Amasa,  he’s  more  alive  than  I 
came  near  being  this  night  gone.  What’s 
the  matter  with  ye?” 

Jimmy  looked  squarely  into  the  light 
blue  eyes.  “ Then  why  ain’t  he  come 
back  ? ” 

“ Don’t  ask  me,”  said  the  stranger. 
“ Mebby  he’s  not  wanted.  I guess  your 
Uncle  Amasa  would  know  where  to  look 
if  he  was  sot  on  it.” 

“Uncle  Amasa  is  just  pining  to  slip 
away  and  look  for  him,”  said  Jimmy. 

“ Is  he  going  on  the  flatboat  with  that 
friend  ofyour’n?” 

“ No,  Marion  thinks  he’s  too  old,”  said 

79 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Jimmy.  ‘‘Besides,  he  has  to  stay  and  take 
care  of  Ma.’’ 

“Your  friend  seems  to  be  full  of  preju- 
dices,’’ said  the  stranger,  thoughtfully. 
“Now,  here’s  what  I’ve  got  to  say.  You 
can  take  it  or  leave  it,  and  welcome. 
You’ve  done  me  a turn  that  I’ll  not  forget. 
No,  I aint  thankin’  ye.  But  if  you  want 
to  look  atter  me  a spell,  till  I’m  on  my 
legs  again.  I’ll  do  this.  I’ll  take  you  down 
the  river  till  we  meet  up  with  my  party 
and  then  we’ll  join  your  pappy.  Mebby 
about  that  time  your  friends’  boat  will  be 
getting  down  the  stream,  and  ye’ll  have  the 
satisfaction  of  hailing  them  from  Cincinnati, 
or  one  of  the  settlements  along  the  way. 
I’m  a stranger  to  ye,  but  you’ll  have  the 
liberty  of  making  up  your  mind  without 
any  pesterin’  from  me.  Ye’re  free  to  fol- 
low the  dictates  of  your  own  heart.  It’s 
but  a small  return  for  a man  to  make, 
whose  been  saved  from  what  ye  saved  me 
8o 


JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER 

from;  and,  besides,  on  the  roads  two’s  safer 
than  one.” 

The  man  with  the  broken  leg  had  done 
some  quick  thinking.  He  had  his  own 
reasons  for  wishing  to  get  down  the  river. 
With  Jimmy  to  help  and  wait  on  him,  he 
would  be  able  to  start  much  sooner  than 
alone.  And  once  among  his  friends,  some 
convenient  disposal  of  Jimmy  would  soon 
offer  itself.  He  might  even  turn  him  over 
to  his  father.  When  the  stranger  said  he 
knew  James  Claiborne,  he  spoke  the  entire 
and  absolute  truth. 

‘‘  I’d  like  to  see  my  father,  if  it’s  true,” 
said  Jimmy,  slowly.  ‘‘  I’d  go  a good  ways, 
and  so  would  Uncle  Amasa.  I wish  I 
could  get  word  to  him.” 

‘‘  And  leave  me  to  shift  for  myself  the 
time  it  would  take  ye  to  go  and  come  ?” 

“ I forgot,”  said  Jimmy,  bent  over  the 
steaming  hominy. 

The  thing  to  do,”  said  the  stranger, 

8i 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


‘‘  is  this : If  Uncle  Amasa  don’t  get  out 
here  before  we’re  ready  to  leave,  write  him 
a message  on  the  wall  that  you’ve  gone  to 
find  your  pappy  ; then  he’ll  understand.” 

A smile  flitted  over  the  man’s  face,  the 
first  that  had  shone  on  it.  It  was  the 
smile  that  a revengeful  and  unscrupulous 
man  might  wear  as  he  wiped  out  an  old 
and  bitter  score. 

“ I might  do  that,”  said  Jimmy,  who 
had  not  seen  the  smile.  That’s  a good 
idea.  But  most  likely  he’ll  come.” 

Uncle  Amasa  was  busy  at  the  shipyard, 
however,  and  as  fear  helped  on  the  rapid 
setting  of  the  broken  leg,  the  stranger  was 
able  to  hobble  about  on  rude  crutches  with- 
in ten  days. 

Jimmy  made  a trip  over  to  Marietta  for 
him,  and  bought  two  horses,  not  without 
inward  trepidation,  for  it  was  no  light  thing 
that  he  was  venturing,  even  to  find  a father 
whom  he  had  supposed  dead. 

82 


JIMMY  SAVES  A STRANGER 

“ Eve  got  my  gun,”  he  reflected. 

Nothing  can  happen.  As  long  as  he’s 
crippled  he’s  my  captive.  I’m  not  his.” 
But  even  as  he  said  it  he  knew  that  he  was 
really  captive  to  the  man’s  helplessness  and 
dependence  on  him. 

His  hand  shook  as  he  wrote  in  charcoal 
on  the  rough  log  of  the  mantelpiece, 

I hev  gon  after  my  fathur. 

-J.  C.” 


83 


CHAPTER  V 


UNCLE  AMASA’s  NEWS 


rush  college  was 

having  its  long  de- 
^ ferred  holiday.  The 
f candy  and  raisins  had 
come  from  Marietta, 
and  all  the  young 
people  of  the  settle- 


ment, as  well  as  most  of  the  older  ones, 
had  gathered  to  see  the  ark  off,  and  cele- 
brate its  departure  with  unusual  festivities. 

Uncle  Amasa  was  not  there.  He  had 
gone  to  join  Jimmy  at  their  little  cabin,  a 
fortnight  or  so  earlier,  and  had  not  yet 
returned.  He  was  to  bring  Jimmy  with 
him.  Marion  had  consented  to  take  him 
on  the  ark. 

Two  bonfires  gleamed  ruddily  on  the 
creek  bank,  where  a fiddle’s  moving  strains 


UNCLE  AMASA^S  NEWS 

rose  and  fell,  blending  to  a chorus  of  joyous 
voices  and  much  laughter.  Just  within  the 
mouth  of  Fish  Creek,  where  the  swollen 
current  of  the  Ohio  ‘‘backs  up  the  smaller 
stream,  lay  the  ark  of  1803,  laden  with 
everything  which  such  craft  carried,  and 
ready  to  cast  off  in  the  morning.  The 
crew  of  seventeen  hardy  fellows  had  come 
together,  young  frontiersmen,  ready  to 
brave  all  the  perils  and  hardships  of  a voy- 
age of  a hundred  days,  exposed  every  day  of 
it  to  wreck  and  hostile  bullet.  New 
Orleans  was  farther  away  to  these  pioneer 
youths  of  Ohio  than  is  Australia  to  us,  and 
the  voyage  thither  was  subject  to  a hundred 
times  greater  perils.  Yet  every  year  an 
increasing  number  of  these  unwieldy  arks 
made  the  long  voyage,  and  the  arksmen 
rendered  a good  account  of  themselves 
against  all  enemies  by  the  way,  and  steer- 
ing warily  past  snag  and  shoal,  made  the 
wished-for  port,  shrewdly  trafficked  their 

85 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


cargoes  and,  late  in  the  year,  got  back  to 
Ohio,  Kentucky  or  Pennsylvania,  with 
pockets  well  lined  with  Spanish  gold,  and 
packs  replete  with  trinkets. 

For  then,  as  now,  the  settlers’  wives, 
daughters  and  sweethearts  longed  for  silk 
gowns  and  bonnets  a la  mode,  laced  ker- 
chiefs and  jeweled  combs ; and  much  hard 
work  at  the  pioneer  clearings  unquestion- 
ably earned  them. 

The  Ohio  was  rising,  steadily  rising, 
much  as  it  had  risen  every  spring  for  thou- 
sands of  years  previously,  much  as  it  has 
risen  for  a hundred  years  since.  Yet,  how 
unlike  the  Ohio  of  the  present  day  it  was ! 

Only  a few  scattered  clearings  then 
notched  the  virgin  forests  that  stretched 
along  its  banks  from  Cairo  to  Pittsburg. 
Cairo,  in  fact,  did  not  then  exist.  Louis- 
ville and  Cincinnati  were  but  two  pioneer 
hamlets,  hardly  known  to  each  other. 

No  steamboat  had  as  yet  made  the 
86 


UNCLE  AMASA’S  NEWS 


shores  resound  to  its  whistle ; no  suspension 
bridges  spanned  the  broad  stream.  Lurking 
parties  of  hostile  Indians  lay  in  ambush  at 
the  narrower  reaches  of  the  channel ; and, 
at  certain  points,  still-more-to-be-dreaded 
bands  of  white  outlaws  had  their  haunts 
and  lay  in  wait  to  rob  the  adventurous 
arks  ” that  floated  down  the  river  to  seek 
their  distant  and  only  market  at  the  French 
city  of  the  Gulf. 

The  river  craft  of  those  days  were 
indeed  picturesque,  and  characteristic,  too, 
of  Yankee  skill  and  ingenuity. 

The  ark,  also  called  the  broadhorn, 
often  of  seventy  or  eighty  tons  burden,  a 
hundred  feet  in  length,  fifteen  or  sixteen 
feet  of  beam,  was  a great  rude,  home- 
hewn  craft,  usually  decked,  generally  roofed 
over,  and  intended,  as  its  name  signified,  to 
carry  a little  of  everything. 

There  was  also  the  ‘‘  keel,” — a long, 
slim,  graceful  boat,  of  from  fifteen  to  thirty 

87 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


tons  burden,  steered  by  a rudder  instead  of 
the  long  “ sweep  ’’  of  the  ark,  and  often 
propelled  up-stream  by  oars  and  poles. 

And  even  when  to  these  are  added  the 
barges,  skiffs  and  ferry  flats,  but  an  inade- 
quate idea  is  gained  of  the  number  and 
variety  of  these  craft ; for  there  were  the 
horse-boats,  having  rude  paddle-wheels  pro- 
pelled by  horse-power  instead  of  steam,  the 
cordelle-boats,  the  floating  ‘‘  smithies,”  or 
blacksmiths’  boats,  the  tinman’s  boats,  the 
floating  grist  mills,  the  traveling  drygoods 
stores,  that  regularly  plied  up  and  down  this 
great  waterway,  and  lastly  the  brigs  and 
ships,  built  at  Marietta,  that  carried  cargoes 
down  to  New  Orleans  and  thence  passed 
out  to  sea,  bound  for  foreign  ports. 

Rythmic  waves  from  the  turbid,  mighty 
current,  sweeping  past  the  creek  mouth, 
beat  into  it  at  intervals,  causing  the 
heavy  ark  to  rock  slowly  at  its  moorings. 
Fitfully  then  could  be  heard  the  impatient 


UNCLE  AMASA’S  NEWS 


trampling  of  horses  beneath  the  rough  slab 
roof  forward  ; a cow  lowed  for  her  calf,  and 
turkeys  and  chickens  ‘‘ quuttered’’  drowsily 
on  their  roosts. 

The  fiddle  was  still  going  merrily ; yet 
all  the  while  a sharp-eyed  old  hunter  stood 
a little  apart  from  the  dancers,  watchful  as 
a sentinel  in  war  time ; and  within  the  ring 
of  the  firelight  were  stacked  a dozen  or 
more  well-oiled  flint-lock  rifles,  where  they 
could  be  seized  at  a moment’s  notice ; for 
an  attack  by  the  Indians  was  still  among  the 
possibilities  of  an  evening  gathering. 

There  were  other  cares,  however,  and 
other  hopes  of  a more  personal  nature;  for 
ere  long  the  tall  young  frontiersman  whom 
the  others  called  ‘‘  captain,”  and  who 
seemed  to  be  the  leading  spirit  of  the 
gathering,  drew  apart  from  the  others,  per- 
haps to  look  to  the  hawsers  that  held  the 
ark,  for  he  approached  and  tried  their 
tension. 


89 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Very  soon,  however,  he  was  joined  by 
the  handsome  girl  with  whom  he  had  led 
the  Virginia  Reel,  and  standing  in  the 
flickering  shadows  of  the  great  trees  down 
the  bank,  Marion  Royce  and  Milly  Ayer 
conversed  long  and  earnestly. 

The  youthful  arksman  was  a good  type 
of  that  hardy  generation  of  a century  ago, 
that  laid  the  foundation  for  the  present 
greatness  of  the  middle  West.  He  was  the 
offspring  of  pioneer  stock  from  Virginia  and 
New  England,  inured  to  labor,  accustomed 
to  danger,  strong  of  arm,  quick  of  eye, 
rough  and  ready  in  action,  but  manly  and 
honest  of  heart. 

Not  yet  twenty-two,  he  had  already 
made  three  voyages  to  New  Orleans.  The 
long  and  turbid  river-way,  with  its  thousand 
perils,  had  grown  familiar  to  him.  Not 
his  courage  alone,  but  his  coolness  in 
danger  and  his  wary  carefulness,  day  and 
night,  had  led  his  fellows  to  choose  him 
90 


I 


f «• 


f 


» . 


•r* 


« 


“YOU  WILL  SURELY  COME  BACK  THEN?’’ 


Page  gi 


UNCLE  AMASA^S  NEWS 


leader  and  captain  for  this  fourth  voyage 
on  which  these  pioneer  families  had  staked 
so  much. 

‘‘It  will  be  a long  summer,”  said  Milly, 
soberly.  “We  shall  not  hear  from  you, 
perhaps,  in  all  that  time.  But  by  Septem- 
ber, Marion, — you  will  surely  come  back 
then?” 

“Perhaps,  if  all  goes  well,”  replied  he, 
gravely.  “ But  no  one  at  home  need  fret  if 
it  is  October  or  November.  So  many 
things  may  hold  us  back — head  winds  on 
the  river,  leaks,  lending  a hand  with  other 
boats ; and  then  the  delays  of  making  our 
market  at  New  Orleans.” 

“And  what  if  it  is  true  that  the  Spanish 
governor  will  not  let  you  land  there?” 
Milly  questioned.  “The  men  on  that 
Marietta  keel  that  went  up  last  night  told 
father  so.  They  said  the  dons  had  mounted  a 
twelve-gun  battery  on  the  levee  and  would 
sink  the  first  Yankee  boat  that  comes  down.” 


91 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


That  may  not  be  true,”  replied  Marion, 
doubtfully.  “ But  let  them  try  that  if  they 
dare.  New  Orleans  is  the  front  door  of 
this  whole  great  country,  and  woe  be  to 
those  who  try  shut  it  in  our  faces.” 

But,  if  there  is  fighting,  do  try  to  keep 
out  of  it,  Marion ! ” exclaimed  the  girl. 

‘‘The  fighting  would  be  short,”  said  the 
young  man.  “ Don’t  you  worry  about 
that,  Milly.  They  do  say  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son is  figuring  to  buy  up  that  whole  country 
down  there  and  send  the  Spaniards  home.” 

“ But,  father  says  that  savage  man, 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  means  to  seize  this 
whole  country  up  the  Mississippi  for  France. 
Father  says  that  a French  fleet  may  be  at 
New  Orleans  before  you  get  down  there, 
and  that’s  the  real  reason,”  Milly  continued, 
lowering  her  voice,  “why  father  wouldn’t 
send  Jerry  with  the  other  horses.  He  is 
afraid  you  will  lose  them  all.  And  Aunt 
Betty  Lord  is  only  sending  half  her  winter’s 
92 


UNCLE  AMASA’S  NEWS 


spinning  of  yarn — she’s  so  afraid  the  French 
will  get  it ! ” 

Marion  laughed.  ‘‘There’s  cargo 
enough  without  Aunt  Betty’s  yarn,”  said 
he.  “ We’ve  never  sent  so  much  before, 
even  though  we  don’t  carry  those  twenty 
barrels  of  Claiborne  peach  brandy  and 
whisky.  I’m  worried  about  Uncle  Amasa. 
He  ought  to  have  been  back.  I’d  hate  to 
have  to  go  without  Jimmy,  now  that  every- 
thing’s straightened  out.” 

“What  did  Master  Hempstead  tell  you, 
Marion  ?” 

For  she  knew  that  the  schoolmaster 
had  had  a long  talk  with  the  young  captain 
on  the  day  following  the  fire. 

“Why,”  said  Marion,  “he  said  that  he 
was  on  his  way  to  take  toll  of  the  peach 
brandy  fn  the  shed,  when  he  saw  that  the 
shed  was  on  fire,  and  he  heard  the  hoofs  of 
a horse  being  ridden  away  at  a gallop. 
Then  Jimmy  Claiborne  came  along  and 
93 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


accused  him  of  trying  to  steal  their  whisky, 
and  they  began  fighting.  When  the  master 
fell,  Jimmy  ran  away,  probably  afraid  that 
he'd  killed  him.  Then,  probably,  he  saw 
from  the  woods  that  the  fire  was  destroying 
everything,  and  he  came  back  to  help. 

“ Master  Hempstead  said  he  expected  to 
be  discharged.  He  felt  more  humiliated  at 
having  been  a disgrace  to  a noble  profession 
than  from  any  personal  loss  of  dignity." 

‘‘  And  you  persuaded  the  Committee  to 
keep  him  ? Oh,  Marion,  I know  you  did. 
It  is  just  like  you,"  said  Milly. 

The  captain  laughed.  ‘‘  Where  do  you 
think  we  would  find  another  Oxford  grad- 
uate to  teach  in  this  wilderness?  Would 
you  like  to  know  the  quaint  way  in  which 
he  vindicated  himself?  He  quoted  from 
Sophocles:  ‘He  who  surpasses  his  fellow 
citizens  in  wisdom  is  no  longer  a member 
of  the  city.  Its  laws  are  not  for  him,  since 
he  is  a law  unto  himself.’  " 


\ 


94 


UNCLE  AMASA’S  NEWS 


Milly  laughed.  “ And,  meanwhile,  the 
mystery  of  who  set  the  fire  remains  a 
mystery?  ” 

‘‘It  remains  a mystery, — look  yonder, 
Milly!”  he  exclaimed.  “ If  that  isn’t  Uncle 
Amasa  1 and  he’s  alone  ! ” 

They  ran  back  to  the  scene  of  the 
merrymaking.  The  dancers  had  stopped, 
and  were  clustering  three  deep  around  the 
old  pioneer.  As  Milly  and  Marion  joined 
the  crowd  the  fiddles  were  silenced  by  a 
lifted  hand. 

“Jimmy’s  gone!”  whispered  the  listen- 
ers, looking  at  one  another  with  awed 
faces.  “Gone — no  one  knows  where.  Uncle 
Amasa’s  spent  all  this  time  searching  among 
the  settlements.  He  found  where  Jimmy 
had  passed  through  on  horseback,  with 
another  man,  but  he  never  caught  up  with 
them,  and  he’s  given  up  hope.  Jimmy 
left  a word  on  the  wall  of  the  cabin  saying 
that  he’d  gone  to  find  his  father 
95 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


As  this  message  passed  among  the  settlers, 
their  faces  grew  sober  in  the  firelight. 
There  was  not  a soul  among  them  but 
believed  that  Jimmy’s  father  had  been  killed 
by  the  Indians,  and  the  message  sounded 
like  an  ill  omen.  Gravely,  almost  solemnly, 
the  party  broke  up. 

Don’t  worry.  Uncle  Amasa,”  said 
Marion,  moving  away  with  the  old  man. 
‘‘Jimmy  can  take  care  of  himself.  He’s 
made  for  the  wilderness.  He’ll  come 
back,  or  we  may  pick  him  up  in  some  town 
along  the  way.  He  is  in  no  danger  that  you 
haven’t  been  in  and  come  out  of— remember 
that.” 

“ I know,”  said  Uncle  Amasa.  “ I 
know;  but  I’d  ruther  he  had  taken  his 
chances  along  with  ye,  and  seen  some  of 
the  doin’s  down  to  New  Orleans.  It  would 
have  been  a sight  safer.  There’s  been 
treachery  in  this,  Marion  ; there’s  been 
treachery,  or  the  boy  wouldn’t  have  written 
96 


UNCLE  AMASA’S  NEWS 


that  message.  It’s  uncanny.  The  lad  is 
being  led  to  his  death.” 

‘‘  No  such  thing,”  said  Marion,  stoutly. 
But  his  heart  misgave  him,  and  he  deter- 
mined to  watch  closely,  as  he  went  down 
the  river,  for  the  runaway. 

Daybreak  saw  the  clumsy  craft  with  its 
heterogeneous  cargo  float  slowly  forth  from 
the  shadows  of  the  creek  mouth  to  the  tune 
of  a mighty  creaking  of  its  great  sweeps, 
till  it  was  caught  by  the  river  current  out- 
side, and  the  long  trip  of  two  thousand 
miles  began. 

With  the  river  running  five  or  six  miles 
an  hour,  it  would  seem  that  a hundred 
miles  a day  might  be  made ; but  snags  and 
shifting  mud  banks  rendered  it  hazardous 
to  float  by  night,  save  when  the  moon  was 
full.  Slack  water,  too,  at  the  numerous 
bends,  and  the  necessity  of  frequently  cross- 
ing over  to  avoid  islands  and  rafts  of  drift, 
97 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


consumed  much  time,  so  that  often  twenty 
miles  in  a day  was  as  much  as  could  be  accom- 
plished with  a due  regard  for  safety. 

They  tied  up  the  first  night  in  a creek 
mouth  on  the  Virginia  bank,  fifteen  miles 
below  Blennerhassett’s  Island,  having  spent 
an  hour  there,  viewing  the  mansion  and  the 
flower  gardens. 

For  this  beautiful  island,  so  sadly  associ- 
ated with  the  early  history  of  the  Ohio, 
was  then  in  the  heyday  of  its  prosperity. 
Harman  Blennerhassett  and  his  accom- 
plished wife  had  come  there  five  years 
previously,  and  wonderful  accounts  of  their 
luxurious  home,  their  wealth  and  culture 
had  spread  up  and  down  the  two  great 
rivers,  from  Pittsburgh  to  New  Orleans. 

The  ark  made  good  progress  during  the 
next  day  and  the  day  following.  By  three 
o’clock  of  this  third  afternoon  it  reached 
Letart’s  ‘‘  Falls.”  Here  the  sweeps  were 
double-manned,  and  the  boat  was  about  to 
98 


UNCLE  AMASA’S  NEWS 


run  down  this  bit  of  quick  water  when  the 
sudden  onset  of  a thunder-squall  led  Marion 
Royce  to  countermand  his  order,  and  pole 
the  ark  to  the  shelter  of  the  trees  on  an 
island  just  above  the  rapids. 

The  delay  bade  fair  to  be  brief,  but  it 
was  fraught  with  grave  consequences. 
While  lying-by  there,  waiting  for  the  gust 
of  rain  to  spend  itself,  Shadwell  Lincoln 
espied  a new  barge  on  rough  timber  ways, 
masked  by  cedar  shrubbery,  upon  the  Vir- 
ginia side  of  the  river.  The  wind  and  rain, 
waving  the  cedar  aside,  gave  them  glimpses 
of  it,  otherwise  it  would  have  escaped 
notice. 

They  hailed  it,  but  received  no  answer. 
Moses  Ayer  then  fired  his  rifle  to  attract 
the  attention  of  those  ashore.  At  the  report 
a flock  of  buzzards  rose  from  close  by  the 
barge. 

That’s  queer,”  said  Lewis  Hoyt. 

Let’s  have  a look  at  that  barge,  Cap’n.” 

IL.oFC. 


99 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Marion  nodded.  Lewis  and  Moses  Ayer 
climbed  into  the  small  skiff,  which  the  ark 
towed  astern,  and  pulled  into  the  bank,  dis- 
tant no  more  than  a hundred  yards.  Land- 
ing a little  above  the  barge,  they  pushed 
through  a tangled  thicket  of  cedar  and 
wild  grape-vines,  and  disappeared  from 
view ; but  Moses  soon  came  off  again 
in  haste. 

‘‘  ’Tis  a new  fifty-foot  barge,”  he 
exclaimed,  ‘‘  and  four  men  have  been  at 
work  on  her — but  they  will  never  do  any 
more  work  ! ” 

“Why  not?”  said  the  captain. 

“ ’Cause  they’re  dead  and  scalped  ! ” 
replied  the  boy,  his  dark  young  eyes  dilat- 
ing with  suppressed  excitement. 

“ Redskins  ! ” muttered  several  of  the 
crew. 

“ But,  how  long  ago  ? ” questioned 
Marion. 

“Just  done!  ” cried  Moses. 


lOO 


UNCLE  AM  ASA’S  NEWS 


Captain  Royce  cast  a hasty  glance  along- 
shore, and  then  toward  the  thick  trees  of 
the  island,  in  the  shadow  of  which  they 
were  lying. 

‘‘  Are  you  sure  ? The  rain  would  freshen 
the  signs,”  he  said.  ‘‘Are  you  very  sure — 
and  why  did  not  Lewis  come  off  with  you  ?” 

“ He’s  watching  ! ” exclaimed  Mose. 
“ He  said  he  would  watch  while  I came 
off  to  tell  you.  There’s  a path  leads  back 
from  the  barge  to  three  cabins  and  a clear- 
ing. We  smelled  smoke  from  the  cabins. 
Lewis  said  he  would  watch  them.” 

“ But  if  redskins  are  about  they  heard 
you  fire,”  said  Marion.  “Stand  by,  to  pole 
off,  men.” 

Then,  after  another  searching  glance 
alongshore,  he  jumped  into  the  skiff  him- 
self and  rowed  hurriedly  to  the  shore  to 
fetch  Lewis  aboard.  He  knew  Indians 
well,  and  feared  that  they  were  lying  in 
wait  to  capture  the  ark. 


lOI 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


As  the  skiff  touched  the  bank  he 
whistled  twice,  the  signal  for  calling  a man 
ashore.  Apparently  Lewis  did  not  hear. 
After  waiting  a minute  or  two,  Captain 
Royce  landed  cautiously,  to  see  for  himself 
how  recently  the  attack  had  been  made, 
but  had  scarcely  forced  his  way  through 
the  cedar  to  the  little  yard  of  chips  and 
hewings  about  the  barge,  when  he  heard  a 
shot  close  at  hand,  and  thought  also  that  he 
heard  Lewis  running. 

The  echoes  of  the  shot  had  hardly 
ceased  from  the  wooded  side  of  the  oppo- 
site island,  however,  when  a volley  appeared 
to  be  fired  over  there,  and  was  followed  by 
the  peculiar  quavering  yell  of  the  Shawnees ! 

A skulking  war  party  had  surprised  the 
unfortunate  builders  of  the  barge.  Beyond 
doubt,  too,  the  Indians  had  seen  the  ark 
crossing  over,  and  all  through  the  shower 
had  been  lying  in  wait  in  the  woods  on  the 
island. 


102 


UNCLE  AMASA^S  NEWS 


Caught  at  such  a disadvantage,  Marion 
Royce  justified  his  reputation  for  coolness 
in  danger  and  good  judgment.  His  first 
anxiety  was  for  his  ark  and  crew.  Bound- 
ing through  the  cedar  and  vines,  he  hailed 
the  startled  crew,  calling  sharply  to  them 
to  shove  off  instantly  and  not  wait  for  him. 

You,  Merrick,  Lincoln,  Gist,  shove 
off!  Get  her  into  the  current ! he  shouted. 
“I’ll  catch  you  in  the  skiff!  Shove  off!” 

The  Indians  were  firing  shot  after  shot; 
and  five  or  six  of  the  savages,  hideously 
painted,  dashed  out  from  the  bank  through 
the  shallows,  to  board  the  ark.  Gist  fell 
overboard,  shot  while  pushing  hard  with  his 
pole.  Merrick  was  also  slightly  wounded. 
But  the  boat  was  off,  and  immediately  the 
strong  current  that  made  round  the  foot  of 
the  island  bore  the  heavy  craft  away  and 
into  the  rapids  below. 

As  soon  as  they  were  afloat  the  arksmen 
dropped  to  cover  behind  the  thick  planks 
103 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


of  the  rail,  and  crawling  to  the  gun-room 
amidships,  secured  their  rifles.  Moses  Ayer 
and  Shadwell  Lincoln  stood  by  the  sweeps 
to  keep  her  head  with  the  stream. 

The  ark  was  now  out  of  danger  of  cap- 
ture ; and,  observing  this,  her  plucky  young 
captain  took  thought  for  his  own  safety  and 
that  of  Lewis  Hoyt.  Twice  he  shouted  to 
the  boy,  but  the  only  answer  was  several 
rifle  bullets  from  the  redskins  on  the  island. 
Three  canoes  put  out,  noticing  which, 
Marion  was  constrained  to  ply  his  oars  to 
escape  down  the  rapids.  By  dint  of  vigor- 
ous exertion  he  overtook  the  ark  two  miles 
below.  It  was  not  till  he  had  got  on  board 
that  he  learned  of  the  loss  of  Gist,  whom 
none  of  the  crew  expected  ever  to  see 
again. 

Lewis  was  running  down  the  Virginia 
shore,  keeping  the  ark  in  sight.  The  boy 
hailed  them  from  the  bank  about  a mile 
below,  and  was  taken  aboard  in  the  skiff. 

104 


UNCLE  AMASA’S  NEWS 


He  had  been  fired  at,  but  was  unhurt. 
Gist,  they  had  little  doubt,  had  been  killed 
or  was  drowned. 

In  a profound  gloom  for  his  loss,  the 
arksmen  continued  their  voyage. 

What  they  did  not  know,  and  could  not 
guess,  was  that  they  left  behind  them 
another  member  of  the  crew. 

Jimmy  Claiborne  had  been  floating 
down  the  river  in  a canoe,  waiting  to  be 
picked  up  by  the  ark,  when  he  had  been 
captured  by  these  same  Shawnees. 


105 


CHAPTER  VI 


A DANGEROUS  ‘‘  GOBBLER  ” 

HE  adventure  of  Louis 
Gist  was  indeed  a singu- 
lar one.  He  had  set  his 
pole  in  the  sandy  bottom 
to  help  push  the  ark  off, 
and  he  and  Merrick  and 
Kenton  were  pushing 
hard  together  when  a 
bullet  from  one  of  their 
Indian  assailants  ashore  broke  the  set- 
ting-pole between  his  hands,  and,  pene- 
trating his  deerskin  jacket,  struck  a rib, 
which  it  also  broke.  But  the  lead  was 
deflected,  and  passing  half  round  his  body 
beneath  the  skin,  lodged  there  as  a little 
blue  lump  against  a rib  on  the  other  side ! 

The  breaking  of  the  pole  and  the  shock 
caused  him  to  pitch  overboard ; and,  as  he 
io6 


A DANGEROUS  ‘‘GOBBLER 


was  but  an  indifferent  swimmer,  he  would 
probably  have  drowned  then  and  there  had  it 
not  been  for  a strong  eddy  of  the  current 
at  the  foot  of  Letart’s  Island.  This  eddy 
swept  him  round  with  it  like  a bit  of 
flotsam,  and  lodged  him  in  shallower 
water,  amid  clots  of  foam  and  driftwood. 

Here  his  knees  touched  bottom  and  he 
got  his  head  up.  He  thought  himself 
mortally  wounded,  for  the  shock  of  the 
bullet  directly  over  his  heart  had  been 
heavy.  Moreover,  he  was  in  great  pain 
and  bleeding  considerably,  and  in  this  pre- 
dicament he  seemed  partially  or  wholly  to 
have  lost  consciousness. 

When  at  length  he  came  to  himself,  he 
had  a confused  impression  that  there  had 
been  a terrible  battle,  that  the  ark  had  been 
taken,  and  all  his  late  companions  killed. 

By  this  time  it  had  grown  dusk,  and  he 
heard,  or  thought  that  he  heard,  the  Indians 
on  the  other  side  of  the  island.  The  ark 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


had  already  passed  down  the  rapids  and  was 
out  of  sight ; but  Gist  fancied  that  the  red- 
skins had  towed  it  round  to  the  Virginia 
side  of  the  island. 

After  awhile  he  crawled  out  to  the 
water  on  the  Ohio  side  of  the  island,  and 
made  his  way  through  the  brushwood  up  to 
the  head  of  it.  Here  he  lay  all  night,  in 
great  misery  ; but  early  the  next  morning 
he  saw  a skiff  with  four  men  coming  down 
the  river,  and  was  able  to  attract  their 
attention. 

They  took  him  with  them  as  far  as  the 
settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  Scioto, 
where  a pioneer  surgeon  laid  open  the  little 
blue  lump  on  his  rib  with  a hunting-knife, 
and  extracted  the  Indian  bullet. 

Three  or  four  weeks  later  he  was  able 
to  work  his  passage  back  up  the  river  on  a 
Wheeling  flatboat,  and  told  the  people  at 
home  that  the  ark  was  captured  by  the 
Indians,  and  that  to  the  best  of  his  knowl- 
io8 


A DANGEROUS  « GOBBLER 


edge  and  belief,  he,  of  all  her  crew,  was 
the  sole  survivor. 

Such  endings  of  the  early  efforts  of 
commerce  and  travel  on  the  Ohio  were  of 
too  frequent  occurrence  to  render  the  tale 
incredible;  and,  although  some  had  their 
doubts,  most  of  the  settlers  believed  that 
Gist’s  account  was  but  too  likely  to  be  true. 

Thus  far  no  such  overwhelming  disaster 
had  befallen  the  little  pioneer  settlement  at 
Fish  Creek. 

In  very  truth  there  were  sorrow  and 
mourning  at  every  cabin,  and  especially  in 
those  of  the  Royce  and  Ayer  families.  To 
Milly  Ayer  and  Mary  Royce  the  year  1803 
bade  fair  to  be  the  saddest  of  their  young 
lives. 

But  the  stout  ark  all  the  while  was  float- 
ing bravely  on — past  the  mouth  of  the 
Kanawha,  where,  in  1749,  the  ambitious 
Celeron  buried  his  leaden  plates,  asserting 
the  claim  of  France  to  the  entire  Ohio 
109 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Valley  ; past  Point  Pleasant,  where,  in  1774, 
General  Lewis  and  his  rangers  fought  a 
fierce,  indecisive  battle  all  day  with  the 
famous  Shawnee  chief.  Cornstalk,  and  his 
braves;  past  the  mouth  of  the  Big  Sandy, 
near  which  a gigantic  railroad  bridge  now 
spans  the  broad  river ; past  the  Scioto  mouth, 
where  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  then  showed  only 
a few  scattered  cabins;  and  so  onward  till, 
after  nine  days,  they  had  come  to  that  little 
town  on  the  beautiful  bluffs  now  known  the 
world  over  as  Cincinnati. 

Cincinnati  is  said  to  have  been  chris- 
tened Losantiville,  in  1788,  by  the  first 
schoolmaster  of  that  region,  one  John 
Filson,  whom  the  Indians  subsequently 
scalped.  From  the  depths  of  his  classical 
erudition  Filson  manufactured  the  name  to 
fit  the  location,  namely:  L for  Licking 
River,  os  for  mouth  of  the  same,  anti  for 
opposite,  and  ville  for  town — The-town- 
opposite-the-mouth-of-the-Licking. 

1 10 


A DANGEROUS “GOBBLER 


It  was  customary  for  arks’  crews  to  have 
a “ liberty  day  ” at  the  embryo  metropolis, 
but  on  this  occasion  Marion  Royce  dissuaded 
his  fellows  from  stopping  there  longer  than 
was  neccessary  to  make  sure  that  there  was 
no  trace  in  the  town  of  Jimmy  Claiborne. 
They  tied  up  for  the  night  to  the  Kentucky 
bank,  a little  below  where  Covington  now 
stands,  and  the  next  day  floated  down 
to  the  mouth  of  Big  Bone  Creek. 

The  Ohio  was  still  rising,  the  current 
waxing  stronger  and  more  rapid  each  day. 
Thus  far  the  ark  had  tied  up  only  by  night, 
but  her  young  captain  had  a particular 
reason  for  stopping  at  this  point. 

During  his  previous  visits  to  New 
Orleans  Marion  had  met  many  odd  char- 
acters along  the  levees,  among  others  a 
certain  French  doctor  and  savant,  named 
Buchat,  who  was  vastly  interested  in  the 
natural  history  of  the  New  World,  and 
after  an  odd  fashion  of  his  own  was  inces- 


III 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


santly  questioning  the  hunters  and  boatmen 
who  came  down  the  great  river.  The  latter 
generally  considered  him  crack-brained ; 
but  Marion  understood  him  better,  and 
liked  the  vivacious  old  gentleman. 

Dr.  Buchat  had  heard  of  the  huge 
skeletons  of  mastodons  (then  called  mam- 
moths) which  had  been  found  by  the  settlers 
in  the  Ohio  Valley,  and  was  very  curious 
concerning  the  localities  where  they  were 
discovered.  Marion  Royce,  who  had  once 
ascended  Big  Bone  Creek  for  game,  gave 
the  old  Frenchman  such  information  as  he 
was  able  concerning  the  size  of  the  thigh- 
bones, vertebras  and  skulls  which  he  had 
seen  in  the  basin  of  the  Lick. 

Marion’s  account  so  fired  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  collector  that  he  offered  the  young 
man  a thousand  francs  if  he  would  unearth 
a skeleton  of  one  of  these  huge  creatures 
and  fetch  it  down  the  river  on  his  next 
trip. 


1 12 


A DANGEROUS  “GOBBLER’’ 

A thousand  francs — about  two  hundred 
dollars — was  a sum  not  to  be  despised  in 
those  days  of  small  means,  especially  by  a 
young  pioneer  who  was  contemplating  a 
home  of  his  own  in  the  near  future.  Marion 
had  determined  to  win  this,  if  it  could  be 
done  without  jeopardy  to  the  ark  and 
cargo. 

Big  Bone  Creek  is  but  a very  small 
affluent  of  the  Ohio,  little  more  than  a 
brook,  in  fact.  It  enters  from  the  Ken- 
tucky shore  through  a fringe  of  willows, 
between  low,  sugar-loaf  hills,  then  densely 
wooded  by  lofty  sycamore  and  walnut.  At 
low  water  boats  could  ascend  this  creek ; 
but  now  the  rising  current  set  back  into  the 
mouth  of  it  for  a distance  of  fully  two 
miles. 

Wood  wise  and  wary,  the  young  ark’s 
captain  tied  up  to  the  Kentucky  shore,  two 
miles  above  the  creek  mouth,  and  sent 
Kenton  round  about  through  the  woods  to 

113 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


reconnoiter  the  lick.  For,  as  it  was  a place 
frequented  by  deer  and  elk,  it  had  come 
also  to  be  a place  of  ambush  for  the  stealthy 
redskins. 

Kenton  came  upon  the  ashes  of  a camp- 
fire, two  or  three  days  old,  on  one  of  the 
hills  overlooking  the  lick,  and  concluded 
that  Indians  had  recently  been  watching 
there.  The  presence  of  a large  herd  of 
deer  about  the  springs,  however,  convinced 
him  that  they  had  gone  away. 

Very  early  the  next  morning,  therefore, 
the  ark  dropped  down  to  the  creek  mouth 
and  was  poled  up  through  the  slack  water 
for  a distance  of  nearly  two  miles.  But  to 
guard  against  surprise,  it  was  moored  out 
in  the  stream,  instead  of  being  tied  to  the 
bank,  by  driving  down  three  setting-poles, 
so  as  to  give  forty  feet  of  open  water  all 
around  it. 

Shadwell  Lincoln,  with  seven  of  the 
crew,  including  young  Moses  Ayer  and 
114 


A DANGEROUS  “GOBBLER*’ 


Lewis  Hoyt,  was  left  in  charge.  Marion 
himself,  with  the  others,  set  off  for  the  lick, 
provided  with  axes  and  a shovel.  From 
where  the  ark  lay  they  had  not  far  from 
two  miles  to  go,  through  the  forest  and 
over  hills. 

Big  Bone  Creek  is  peculiar  in  that  it 
comes  almost  wholly  from  five  or  six 
copious  sulphur  and  saline  springs,  which 
issue  from  the  earth  in  the  marshy  basin 
above  mentioned. 

When  the  first  white  hunters  came  here 
in  1729  the  whole  marsh  bristled  with 
enormous  white  bones — hence  the  name. 
Naturalists  and  collectors  have  now  carried 
off  everything  in  sight;  but  those  who 
have  patience  to  excavate  the  marsh  are  able 
occasionally  to  unearth  bones  of  amazing 
magnitude. 

In  1803,  however,  it  was  still  possible 
to  find  partly  buried  skeletons  intact,  or 
nearly  so.  Marion  Royce  and  his  arksmen 

115 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


had  not  long  to  search  for  one,  and  were 
soon  busy  at  their  strange  task. 

The  Royce  and  Ayer  family  traditions 
have  it  that  the  arksmen  dug  out  a huge 
mammoth  skeleton  here,  and  were  occupied 
until  May  3 hauling  it  down  to  the  ark 
on  bob-sleds,  which  they  constructed  for 
the  purpose.  Many  of  the  great  molar 
teeth  and  numbers  of  the  small  bones  were 
missing  from  this  and  all  other  skeletons 
found  here ; but,  by  overhauling  several 
different  skeletons,  they  were  able  to  make 
up  these  deficiencies  in  part. 

Like  the  deer,  elk  and  buffalo,  the 
mastodon  was  a constitutionally  salt-hungry 
herbivore.  Great  numbers  of  them,  ventur- 
ing into  the  soft  marsh  about  these  saline 
springs,  were  ‘‘mired”  and  perished  miser- 
ably, either  from  hunger  or  the  attacks  of 
the  carnivora. 

For  centuries  the  numerous  “licks”  of 
this  Western  wilderness  were  veritable  death 
116 


A DANGEROUS  “GOBBLER” 


traps  for  the  larger  game.  Not  only  were 
the  heavy  buffalo  and  heavier  mastodon 
bogged  in  the  treacherous  salt  sloughs,  but 
the  deer  and  elk  were  constantly  preyed  on 
by  panthers,  wolves,  and  Indian  hunters 
that  had  learned  to  ambush  these  localities. 

The  mouth  of  the  Big  Bone  was  now 
near  to  being  a trap  for  the  ark.  An  im- 
mense raft  of  driftwood  had  set  into  it  from 
the  rising  current  of  the  Ohio  outside.  For 
a mile  below  where  the  ark  lay  the  creek 
was  filled  by  it,  and  so  dense  was  the  pack 
that  it  became  a question  whether  the  crew 
would  be  able  to  force  a passage  through  it 
to  the  open  river. 

Otherwise,  that  part  of  the  crew  left 
aboard  were  passing  dull  days,  particularly 
the  two  boys,  Moses  and  Lewis ; for  Cap- 
tain Royce  had  left  strict  orders  with 
Shadwell  Lincoln  that  while  he  was  absent 
at  the  lick  the  men  must  remain  closely 
aboard,  and  be  constantly  on  guard  against 
117 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


a surprise  by  Indian  war  parties,  a precaution 
necessary  from  the  exposed  position  of  the 
ark  in  the  narrow  creek. 

But  the  weather  had  now  turned  warm, 
and  the  lagoon,  overhung  by  great  trees, 
was  like  a hothouse.  A flock  of  buzzards 
hung  about  them,  often  alighting  among 
the  poultry  on  the  roof  of  the  ark.  Hawks 
and  a pair  of  eagles  also  troubled  them,  and 
by  night  a large  owl  paid  them  visits. 

Moses  and  Lewis  longed  to  go  ashore 
and  hunt,  but  true  to  his  orders  Lincoln 
would  not  allow  it.  A little  sport  offered, 
shooting  turkey-gobblers,  numbers  of  which, 
allured  by  the  plaintive  “yeapings”  of  the 
turkeys  aboard  the  ark,  appeared  on  the 
creek  bank.  One  ambitious  young  gobbler 
flew  out  to  them  of  his  own  accord,  and 
began  ‘‘  strutting  ” on  the  roof. 

The  morning  before  the  captain  and  his 
party  returned  with  their  sled-loads  of 
bones  a more  exciting  incident  occurred, 

ii8 


A DANGEROUS  ‘‘GOBBLER’* 

which  well  illustrates  the  perils  that  beset 
the  daily  life  of  the  pioneers. 

A little  after  daybreak,  while  still  most 
of  the  crew  were  asleep,  another  turkey- 
cock  was  heard  gobbling  in  the  woods  a 
little  way  back  from  the  creek  bank.  First 
Moses,  then  Lewis,  rifle  in  hand,  sat  watch- 
ing behind  the  plank  bulwarks.  There 
was  rivalry  between  them  as  to  which 
should  first  catch  sight  of  these  wild 
visitors. 

For  some  time  they  heard  the  bird 
gobbling  at  intervals  of  a few  minutes ; but 
this  particular  turkey-cock  appeared  to  be 
wary  and  disinclined  to  show  himself. 

Then,  at  length,  Moses  noted  an  odd 
circumstance,  and  drew  suddenly  down  to 
cover  of  the  planking. 

“Layup,  Lew!”  said  he.  “I  believe 
that’s  a redskin  1 ” 

Gobbling  like  a turkey  in  the  woods,  to 
lure  the  white  settlers  near  enough  for  a 
119 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


shot,  was  a common  stratagem  with  the 
Indians  in  those  days — one  that  cost  more 
than  one  pioneer  his  scalp.  Some  of  the 
savages  were  adepts  at  imitating  all  the 
notes  of  the  wild  turkey,  from  the  plaintive 
yeap-yeap,  yop-yop  of  the  hens,  to  the 
noisy,  defiant  gobble  of  the  big,  bronze- 
breasted, red-wattled  turkey-cocks. 

The  human  ear  could  detect  nothing 
wrong  with  this  call ; perhaps  the  ear  of  a 
turkey  is  keener,  for  what  Moses  Ayer  had 
noted  was  that  their  own  turkeys  were  not 
responding  as  usual  to  this  early  caller. 

But  Lewis  believed  it  was  a turkey,  so 
many  had  come  out  in  sight  there.  The 
two  boys  argued  it  for  some  time,  and 
meantime  the  gobbling  continued  at  inter- 
vals, apparently  about  a gun-shot  back  from 
the  creek. 

Not  only  Charles  Hoyt,  but  Merrick 
and  Wistar  Royce,  Marion’s  brother,  who 
had  now  appeared  from  their  bunks. 


120 


A DANGEROUS  “GOBBLER’* 


thought  that  it  was  probably  a turkey.. 
Lewis  declared  that  he  would  go  ashore  to 
shoot  it,  but  Lincoln  forbade  it,  although 
he,  too,  believed  it  to  be  a bird. 

Moses  still  insisted  that  it  was  a skulk- 
ing Indian  trying  to  pick  up  a scalp,  and 
the  discussion  and  banter  waxed  so  hot  at 
length  that  the  boy  determined,  privately, 
to  prove  himself  in  the  right. 

He  seemed  to  retire  to  his  bunk,  as  if 
for  another  nap,  but  made  his  way  astern, 
past  the  horses.  Here  he  let  out  the  painter 
line  that  held  the  skiff  sufficiently  to  allow 
him  to  reach  the  bank  in  it,  and  then, 
watching  his  chance,  while  the  others  were 
washing  up  and  preparing  breakfast,  effected 
a landing  unobserved,  but  on  the  bank  oppo- 
site where  he  had  heard  the  turkey  gobble. 

Concealing  himself  in  the  laurel  boughs, 
he  carefully  reprimed  his  rifle  and  lay  quiet 
till  he  had  heard  the  turkey  again.  There- 
upon, feeling  tolerably  certain  that  the 


I2I 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

Indian — if  it  were  one — had  not  seen  him 
land,  he  made  a wide  detour  through  the 
forest  and  crossed  the  creek  at  a point 
where  the  stream  was  shallow,  half  a mile 
above  where  the  ark  lay.  From  here  he 
worked  his  way  cautiously  down  the  other 
bank,  crawling  from  one  thicket  to  another, 
with  a stealth  which  even  an  Indian  might 
have  envied. 

But  now  the  youthful  woodsman  was  at 
a disadvantage.  The  ‘‘gobbling'’  of  the 
suppositious  turkey-cock  had  ceased.  With 
that  to  guide  him  he  could  easily  have 
located  the  “gobbler.”  For  the  first  time 
he  felt  afraid.  Either  the  Indian  had 
sighted  him,  and  was  waiting  for  him  to 
come  nearer,  or  else  had  grown  tired  of  the 
effort  and  gone  away. 

For  half  an  hour  or  more  the  boy  lay 
still  in  the  brush,  watching  and  listening, 
not  daring  to  stir  a twig.  He  was  already 
within  two  hundred  yards  of  where  the  ark 


122 


A DANGEROUS  ‘‘GOBBLER 


lay,  but  young  cane,  vines  and  other  brush 
made  thick  cover  all  along  the  bank. 

Fortune  favored  him  at  length,  other- 
wise he  would  not  have  dared  to  make 
another  move.  Down  the  bank,  almost 
opposite  the  ark,  a pair  of  redbirds  suddenly 
began  making  a fuss,  as  they  do  when  their 
nests  are  disturbed ; a catbird  also  uttered 
its  low,  squalling  note.  Some  enemy  was 
disturbing  the  birds  there,  and  with  a good 
notion  that  it  might  be  the  Indian,  Moses 
now  crept  slowly  nearer. 

All  the  while  he  could  hear  plainly  the 
voices  of  the  men  on  the  ark  and  smell  the 
smoke  of  their  morning  pipes.  Lewis  and 
Charles  Hoyt  were  talking  and  laughing. 
He  heard  the  latter  say  that  he — Moses — 
had  got  the  sulks  and  gone  to  his  bunk  ! 

The  redbirds  continued  scolding.  He 
could  see  them  flying  about  over  a laurel 
clump,  and  crawling  still  nearer,  he  pres- 
ently detected  a slight  movement  of  the 
123 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


canes  near  an  old  heap  of  driftwood,  within 
a few  yards  of  the  creek  water  and  not 
more  than  a hundred  feet  distant.  Keeping 
his  eyes  fixed  on  the  spot,  he  presently  saw 
a feathered  scalp-lock  rise  slowly  there — 
for  a peep  at  the  ark  ! 

The  sight  sent  a curious  thrill  along  the 
boy's  nerves,  and  for  some  moments  he  lay 
very  quiet.  Then,  plucking  up  his  courage, 
he  looked  yet  again  to  his  priming  and 
crawled  a little  nearer.  He  could  see  the 
Indian  more  clearly  now,  and  distinguished 
his  ear,  shoulder  and  tawny  right  arm,  with 
its  dull  brass  armlet.  Eager,  but  silent  as  a 
crouching  panther,  the  Indian  was  watching 
the  ark  and  listening  to  the  voices  of  the 
men. 

Moses,  too,  could  discern  as  well  as 
hear  them,  and  it  made  his  heart  beat 
quickly  to  see  Charles  Hoyt  walk  uncon- 
cernedly aft,  his  head  and  shoulders  fully 
exposed  above  the  planking  of  the  bulwarks ; 

124 


A DANGEROUS  ‘^GOBBLER 


for  he  knew  now  that  the  lurking  savage, 
unable  to  lure  any  of  the  arksmen  ashore, 
had  crawled  down  to  the  bank  with  the 
intention  of  shooting  at  least  one  of  the 
whites,  then  making  his  escape. 

‘‘  Come,  help  water  the  horses  ! ” he 
heard  Hoyt  call  out;  and  then  Lewis  and 
Merrick  lounged  aft,  an  easy  mark  for  the 
concealed  savage,  who  was  hardly  more 
than  twenty  yards  away. 

This  feeling  of  suspense  and  apprehen- 
sion for  his  companions  changed  to  some- 
thing akin  to  horror  when  he  saw  Wistar 
Royce  swing  himself  up  by  a stanchion  to 
the  roof  of  the  ark  and  move  about,  feeding 
and  watering  the  poultry  in  their  cages  up 
there.  Surely  the  Indian  could  not  hope 
for  a fairer  mark  ! 

Apparently  the  latter  thought  so  him- 
self, for  the  boy  saw  him  raise  the  long 
barrel  of  a rifle  into  view  and  slide  it 
slowly  across  a log  of  the  drift  heap. 

125 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


For  some  seconds  Moses  had  been  hold- 
ing his  own  rifle  in  readiness  to  shoot.  It 
was  his  first  experience  stalking  an  Indian, 
however,  and  he  felt  not  a little  afraid.  If 
he  missed  his  aim,  the  redskin  would  no 
doubt  return  the  shot  on  the  instant,  or 
else  rush  upon  him  with  knife  and  toma- 
hawk before  he  could  reload. 

But  the  sight  of  the  savage  making 
ready  to  fire  at  Wistar  served  to  renew  his 
courage,  and  he  cautiously  cocked  his  rifle. 

At  so  little  a distance,  however,  the 
savage  heard  the  click  of  the  hammer.  He 
glanced  suddenly  in  Moses'  direction.  Their 
eyes  met  as  the  boy  fired.  Through  the 
smoke  he  saw  the  Indian  leap  to  his  feet 
with  a frightful  whoop,  and  dropping  his 
own  empty  rifle,  he  darted  back  through 
the  underbrush  to  escape.  But  he  immedi- 
ately perceived  that  the  savage  was  down, 
writhing  about  and  making  distressful 
sounds.  But  even  these  movements  wholly 
126 


A DANGEROUS  ‘‘GOBBLER” 


ceased  before  Moses  had  his  rifle  reloaded, 
for  his  bullet  had  entered  near  the  Indian’s 
righ  armpit  and  passed  completely  through 
his  body. 

Meanwhile  the  shot  had  produced  a 
considerable  commotion  on  the  ark.  The 
crew  seized  their  guns  to  repel  an  attack. 
Moses’  absence  was  immediately  discovered, 
however,  and  seeing  the  skiflF  at  the  other 
bank,  the  men  at  once  concluded  that  he 
had  gone  ashore  to  shoot  the  turkey.  Shad- 
well  Lincoln  hailed  him  by  name,  and 
fearing  lest  the  arksmen  might  fire  on  him  in 
the  brush,  Moses  was  constrained  to  answer. 

“Come  aboard,  you  young  scamp!” 
shouted  Lincoln.  Bidding  Wistar  and 
Lewis  haul  the  skiff  round,  he  went  ashore 
after  Moses  himself,  being  minded  to  give 
the  boy  a “wigging”  for  disobeying  orders. 
“ Come  aboard,  you  scamp  I ” he  shouted 
again.  “ Did  you  not  hear  me  tell  you  not 
to  go  ashore  after  that  gobbler?” 

127 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


But  Moses,  who  had  by  this  time 
possessed  himself  of  the  Indian’s  rifle,  knife 
and  feather-bedecked  head-dress,  stepped 
proudly  out  of  the  brush  in  full  view  of 
them  all,  and  holding  up  his  trophies,  said, 
‘‘  Here’s  your  turkey-gobbler!  ” 


Page  128 


t 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


.N  the  same  morning  that 
Moses  Ayer  shot  the 
‘‘gobbler/’  Marion  Royce 
and  his  men  came  down 
from  Big  Bone  Lick  with 
their  four  sled  loads  of 
mammoth  bones.  The  ark,  how- 
ever, was  blockaded  for  a week  by 
the  dense  pack  or  raft  of  drift-wood,  which 
had  set  back  from  the  Ohio  into  the  creek 
mouth. 

As  long  as  the  river  continued  to  rise, 
the  drift  pack  was  forced  back  into  the 
slack  water  with  an  increasing  pressure 
which  defied  the  efforts  of  the  crew  to  open 
a passage  through  it.  On  the  eighth  night, 
however,  the  “ fresh,”  as  rivermen  term 
rising  water,  slackened  and  fell  a few  inches, 
129 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


when  immediately,  as  from  a magic  touch, 
the  densely  jammed  pack  loosened  and 
began  floating  out  into  the  river. 

By  dint  of  poling  hard  the  men  got  out 
of  the  Big  Bone  early  on  the  morning  of 
the  ninth  day,  and  resumed  their  voyage. 
That  afternoon  they  passed  Vevay,  where 
newly  arrived  Swiss  settlers  were  beginning 
to  erect  log  houses  and  clear  land  for  vine- 
yards. 

A bright  moon  enabled  them  to  go  on 
that  evening,  and  early  in  the  night  they 
passed  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky.  By 
the  next  noon  Sand  Island  was  sighted,  and 
here  Captain  Royce  tied  up  to  take  a look 
at  the  rapid  water  ahead ; for  the  ark  had 
reached  the  ‘‘  Falls  of  the  Ohio,”  now  made 
easy  for  ascending  steamers  by  the  canal. 

La  Salle,  the  famous  early  explorer  of 
Western  rivers,  is  said  to  have  been  here  in 
1669,  and  tradition  tells  of  various  eflForts 
to  maintain  forts  and  found  a settlement 
130 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 

here  during  the  tumultuous  eighteenth 
century  warfare.  In  May  of  1778,  George 
Rogers  Clark  was  here  and  built  a log 
blockhouse  on  Corn  Island,  in  the  midst  of 
the  rapids.  But  even  as  late  as  1803  only  a 
few  scattered  houses  could  be  discerned 
alongshore  from  the  river. 

The  falls  here  are  the  only  real  obstruc- 
tion to  navigation  on  the  Ohio,  and  like 
most  of  the  so-called  “falls”  of  Western 
rivers,  are  more  formidable  in  name 
than  in  reality.  At  low  water  the  rapids 
are  dangerous  to  inexperienced  boatmen, 
but  when  the  Ohio  is  in  flood,  hardly  a 
ripple  breaks  the  swift  current. 

After  a cautious  look  ahead.  Captain 
Royce  double-manned  the  sweeps  and  ran 
the  quick  water  without  other  incident 
than  an  acceleration  of  the  ark’s  progress. 

The  life  of  an  arksman  floating  down 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  was  an  easy  one 
when  all  went  well,  yet  subject  hourly  to 

131 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


most  perilous  contingencies.  Beyond  man- 
ning the  sweeps,  the  crew  had  little  to  do, 
save  to  prepare  their  food  and  care  for  their 
live  stock. 

During  the  first  six  days  after  passing 
the  falls  the  ark  made  unusually  good  prog- 
ress, the  moonlight  enabling  Captain 
Royce  to  continue  during  at  least  a part  of 
four  of  the  nights.  They  passed  the  then 
uncleared  site  of  Evansville  and  of  Hender- 
son, not  yet  the  home  of  the  naturalist, 
Audubon,  and  threading  the  great  ox- 
bows ” of  the  river,  came  where  the 
mighty  Wabash,  flowing  down  past  old 
Vincennes,  poured  its  grand  stream  of  clear, 
green  water  out  across  the  roily  Ohio. 

On  the  last  of  these  nights,  Moses  was 
standing  at  the  great  steering  oar,  his  gaze 
fixed  curiously  on  the  high  bluffs  beside 
which  the  ark  was  passing.  Somewhere  at 
the  bow  he  supposed  that  Lewis  was  swing- 
ing his  feet  and  thinking  pretty  much  the 
132 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


same  thoughts  as  Moses  himself.  The 
great  boat  with  all  its  freight  was  wrapped 
in  utter  silence.  Hours  ago,  it  seemed  to 
Mose,  the  cocks  had  awakened  the  echoes 
of  the  shore  with  their  drowsy  ‘‘oo — oo — 

oo OO,”  and  tucked  their  heads  under 

their  wings  again. 

‘‘These  must  be  the  palisades  Marion 
talked  about,”  Mose  reflected.  Marion  had 
told  him  to  call  him  if  they  were  reached 
before  daybreak,  for  it  would  mean  that 
they  were  passing  along  the  Illinois  shore, 
through  the  region  of  the  cave  robbers. 

The  high  limestone  cliffs  were  gray  in  the 
moonlight,  but  here  and  there  Moses  saw 
deep  black  fissures,  the  entrances  of  caves. 
Remembering  his  orders,  he  called  to  Lewis. 

“ Lew ! Oh  Lew  ! Ahoy  the  bow ! ” 

There  was  no  answer. 

“Must  have  dropped  asleep,”  Moses 
said  to  himself.  He  put  his  fingers  into 
his  mouth  and  whistled  shrilly. 

133 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


In  a moment  half  a dozen  men  had 
come  running  to  the  deck. 

‘‘What’s  happened?  What’s  the 
matter?  Where’s  Lewis?”  they  asked. 

“Asleep,  I guess,”  said  Mose.  “ Here’s 
the  cliffs,  Cap’n.” 

Marion  Royce  looked  uneasily  at  the 
peaceful  face  of  the  moonlit  palisades.  As 
the  ark  floated  past,  close  in  shore,  the 
crew  stood  at  the  starboard  rail,  speculating 
as  to  the  extent  of  the  caverns.  Suddenly 
a voice  called  from  the  water  behind  them, 
and  they  saw  an  arm  upraised. 

“ It’s  Lewis  ! ” exclaimed  Marion. 
“ Throw  a line  out,  Kenton  ! ” 

Lewis  caught  the  line  without  trouble 
and  the  men  soon  had  him  aboard,  dripping 
and  excited. 

“ Bad  stretch  of  water  to  bathe  in, 
Lewis,”  said  the  captain,  gravely. 

“ I didn’t  mean  to  fall  in,”  said  Lewis. 
“A  canoe  stole  past  to  port  of  us,  and  before 

134 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


I could  cry  out  an  Indian  had  slipped  up 
behind  me  and  shoved  me  into  the  water, 
but  I took  him  with  me.  When  we  came 
up  to  the  surface  someone  in  the  canoe 
reached  out  to  us,  but  instead  of  pulling  us 
in  I saw  a knife  flash  and  the  Indian  who 
had  pulled  me  overboard  went  down  with- 
out a gurgle,  cut  through  the  throat.  I dived 
under,  for  I didn’t  want  to  make  any  closer 
acquaintance  with  the  Indian  in  the  canoe. 
Then  I came  up,  and  here  I am.  Where’s 
the  canoe  ? ” 

‘‘  It  must  have  put  into  one  of  the 
caves,”  said  the  captain.  ‘‘What  I can’t 
understand  is  how  it  could  have  happened 
without  Moses  hearing.” 

“ I was  looking  at  the  palisades,”  said 
Mose.  “ It  all  happened  at  the  bow, 
ninety  feet  away.  By  the  time  the  ark  had 
floated  its  own  length  it  was  all  over.” 

“ Go  down  and  get  dry  clothes,  Lewis,” 
ordered  the  captain.  “ Keep  a sharp 
135 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


watch,  the  rest  of  you.  There  is  some- 
thing extraordinary  about  this — two  Indians 
in  a canoe  try  to  murder  the  watch  aboard 
an  ark,  and  the  second  Indian,  instead  of 
doing  his  part  and  killing  the  steersman  as 
the  ark  drifts  by,  knifes  the  first  Indian.  I 
never  heard  of  such  a thing.  Are  you  sure 
you  weren’t  dreaming  when  you  fell  over- 
board? ” 

“Dreaming?”  chattered  Lewis,  stop- 
ing  on  his  way  to  the  cabin.  “ Look  at 
that!” 

They  wheeled  and  stared  behind  them. 
Around  a small  jutting  ledge  an  empty 
canoe  was  drifting  towards  them,  dancing 
giddily  in  the  ark’s  shining  wake.  Almost 
as  they  looked  a shot  rang  out  from  a cave 
that  they  were  passing  and  John  Cutler, 
one  of  the  oldest  men  of  the  crew,  lurched 
into  Kenton’s  arms. 

“Veer  off  shore,”  ordered  the  captain, 

quietly.  “ Steady the  sweeps.  Mac- 

136 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


Afee,  stand  by  ready  to  catch  that  canoe. 
Careful  with  the  oar.  Don’t  upset  the 
canoe  with  it.  Steady — steady  with  the 
sweeps — back  water  all  you  can.  Shad 
Lincoln,  stand  by  to  help  MacAfee.” 

“ Aren’t  we  going  back  to  kill  the 
Indian  that  shot  Cutler?”  indignantly  asked 
Kenton,  as  he  saw  the  ark  swing  away  from 
the  shore. 

‘‘Not  here,”  said  the  captain.  “Too 
rocky — can’t  land.  Is  John  badly  wounded? 
Take  him  into  the  cabin.  I’ll  be  in  and 
dress  it  as  soon  as  we’re  by  these  caves.” 

“I’m  all  right,”  said  Cutler,  raising 
himself  by  Kenton’s  help.  “ Better  hold 
right  on,  Marion.  There  may  be  a party — 
may  have  fired  just  to  draw  us  into  a trap.” 
He  swayed,  and  tottered  into  the  cabin. 

“We  shall  go  back!”  cried  Charlie 
Hoyt,  savagely.  “ Cutler,  too,  of  all  of  us!” 

“We’ll  scalp  every  one  we  can  lay  hold 
of!”  added  Moses,  hotly. 

137 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Their  blood  was  boiling.  It  was  all 
that  the  young  captain  could  do  to  preserve 
order.  But  his  voice  was  quiet  and  his 
tone  so  commanding  that  it  cowed  them. 
They  were  crouched  under  the  rail,  all 
excepting  those  who  were  obliged  to  stand 
exposed  at  the  sweeps,  and  MacAfee,  who 
was  coolly  trolling  for  the  dancing  canoe. 
Another  shot  followed  them,  but  fell 
short. 

“ They’re  all  back  there  in  that  cave,” 
said  Lincoln,  in  his  slow,  deliberate  way. 
“ It  must  irk  them  to  see  you  fishin’  for 
their  war  canoe  and  not  be  able  to  pot  you. 
Let  me  take  a turn,  MacAfee ; maybe  I can 
catch  it.” 

Let  the  canoe  go,”  called  Marion. 

It’s  not  worth  getting  shot  for.” 

But  MacAfee  had  deftly  secured  his 
prize,  and  the  weighted  spear  which  he 
had  thrown  stuck  quivering  in  the  bottom 
of  the  light  craft.  He  drew  in  his  line 
138 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 

cautiously,  and  then  Lincoln  helped  him 
take  the  canoe  aboard. 

‘‘  Here’s  news,”  drawled  Lincoln.  He 
held  up  an  unfolded  sheet  of  paper.  Mac- 
Afee  snatched  it  from  him. 

“It  was  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe, 
weighted  with  a stone,”  Lincoln  explained. 
“ That  Indian  that  knifed  Lewis’s  Indian 
seems  to  be  friendly  to  all  of  us,  sending  us 
messages  on  a letter  stolen  from  a murdered 
courier,  apparently.” 

“ Hush  up.  Line.  Someone  get  a light.” 

In  the  lee  of  the  rail  they  pored  over 
the  paper,  which  might  not,  after  all,  be 
meant  for  them. 

“It’s  written  in  blood  ! ” cried  Moses. 

It  held  only  one  word,  traced  with  the 
writer’s  forefinger,  and  that  word  was — 
DANGER. 

“ Wait ! ” said  Mose.  “ Isn’t  that  an 
initial,  straggled  there?” 

“ I was  wonderin’  if  you’d  any  of  you 

139 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

see  that,”  said  Lincoln.  ‘‘  I saw  it  the  first 
thing.” 

“There  are  two  of  them,”  said  Marion, 
controlling  his  excitement  with  a great 
effort.  “ Look,  Lincoln,  do  you  make  out 
what  I do  ?” 

“ I expect  so.  I make  out  a ‘ J.  C.’  ” 

“ J.  C.  ! ” repeated  Moses.  He  stared 
from  Marion  to  Lincoln,  and  back  to 
Lewis,  who  stood  trembling  as  if  he  had 

taken  a chill.  “ Why — do  you  suppose 

that’s  meant  for  Jimmy  Claiborne?  ” 

The  light  of  the  cabin  lantern  which 
they  had  brought  out  showed  their  awed, 
startled  faces.  “ I think  it  is,”  began 
Marion,  slowly. 

“ Hey you,”  he  cried,  looking  up  ; 

“man  the  sweeps!  We’re  getting  too  far 
out.” 

“ But  the  man  in  the  canoe  was  an 
Indian,”  objected  Lewis,  “ and  he  must 
have  sent  the  message.  He  barely  had  time 


140 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


to  write  it  with  the  blood  that  spurted 
over  him  from  cutting  the  Indian’s  throat. 
Ough ! I just  saw  it  spout  up  as  I went 
down.”  He  gave  a great  shiver  at  the 
memory  that  would  haunt  him  while  he 
lived. 

‘‘  The  man  in  that  canoe  was  Jimmy 
Claiborne,”  said  the  captain.  “Em  sorry, 
men.  We  can’t  land,  now.  Not  with  this 
warning.” 

‘‘Not  land!'^ 

“ Not  to-night.  Get  your  rifles,  Kenton 
and  MacAfee.  Lincoln,  you  and  Lewis  at 
the  sweeps.  Lew  needs  to  get  warm. 
Don’t  shoot  unless  we’re  attacked  in  canoes. 
We  may  have  passed  the  danger  Jimmy 
speaks  of,  or  we  may  be  floating  into  it.  I 
must  go  and  look  after  poor  Cutler.  Moses, 
mind  your  oar ! ” 

Kenton  and  MacAfee  confronted  the 
captain  as  he  started  to  go  to  the  cabin. 
“We’re  goin’  back  for  Jimmy,”  they  said, 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


threateningly.  “ He  saved  Lewis,  here. 
He’s  saved  the  ark.  Do  you  think  we’ll 
slink  ofF  into  safety  and  leave  him  to  the 
savages  ? ” 

The  captain  wheeled  on  them.  ‘‘  Did 
Jimmy  ask  for  help?” 

‘‘  No,  but ” 

“Then  mind  his  warning.  He’s  play- 
ing his  game.  He  could  have  come  aboard 
when  he  was  in  the  canoe.” 

“ Dressed  as  an  Indian  ?”  asked  Kenton, 
contemptuously.  “ How  long  would  we 
have  let  him  live?” 

“While  he  told  us  his  name,”  returned 
the  captain. 

“You  know  better,”  said  MacAfee, 
hotly.  “He  daren’t  risk  it.  You’re  a 
coward,  Marion  Royce,  that’s  what.” 

“And  not  avenge  Cutler  ? ” said  Kenton. 
“ Give  us  a boat.  Give  us  the  canoe  if  you 
won’t  give  us  a boat,  and  we’ll  go  back.” 

Marion  Royce  stood  before  them  fear- 
142 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 

lessly.  These  were  the  men  he  had  feared. 
Tried  rivermen,  both ; utterly  fearless, 
utterly  insubordinate.  A man  named 
Merrick,  and  a younger  one  named  Corson, 
both  from  Marietta,  came  forward  and 
ranged  themselves  alongside  Kenton  and 
MacAfee.  ‘‘We’re  goin’  with  ’em,”  they 
said,  sullenly.  “We  don’t  turn  our  backs 
on  no  friend.” 

Marion  faced  them.  As  they  stood  on 
the  deck  they  were  a fair  mark  in  the 
moonlight  for  any  chance  robber  who  might 
pot  them  from  the  mouth  of  one  of  the 
caves.  Lewis  and  Lincoln  were  at  the 
sweeps.  Moses,  at  the  oar,  was  watching 
with  his  heart  in  his  throat. 

“You  want  to  help  Jimmy?”  asked 
Marion. 

“ We’re  goin’  to.” 

“You  want  to  avenge  Cutler?” 

“ Aye;  we’re  goin’  to  do  that,  too.” 

“Then  wait  till  daylight,  and  I’ll  go 

143 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


back  with  you,  with  horses.  Now,  let  me 
see  to  Cutler.” 

He  passed  them  without  waiting  for 
their  objections.  As  he  stepped  into  the 
cabin  he  met  Charlie  Hoyt.  ‘‘Take 
your  gun,  and  watch  those  Marietta  fel- 
lows,” he  said.  “ If  one  of  them  attempts 
to  steal  a boat,  or  leave  the  ark  in  any  way, 
cover  him,  but  don’t  shoot.  He’ll  come 
down.” 

He  went  to  Cutler’s  bunk,  and  found 
him  raised  almost  to  a sitting  posture,  gasp- 
ing for  breath.  Examining  his  wound,  he 
found  him  shot  through  the  heart. 

“ Ain’t  sufferin’  a mite,”  panted  Cutler, 
cheerily.  “Just  make  me  a dressing  of 
slippery  elm  and  stramonium  leaves,  with  a 
leetle  warm  water,  son.  That’s  what  Jane 
alius  doctored  gunshot  wounds  with.  A 
grand  dressing  it  made.” 

He  began  to  cough,  and  Marion  raised 
him  in  his  arm.  A bright  stream  of 
144 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


arterial  blood  gushed  from  between  his 
lips.  Hastily  laying  him  flat,  Marion  tried 
to  stop  the  hemorrhage  with  the  means  at 
his  command,  but  it  was  a hopeless  effort. 
The  old  pioneer,  who  had  recovered  from 
wounds  and  fevers  in  the  wilderness,  had 
succumbed  to  a stray  bullet  where  he  stood 
in  comparative  safety  in  the  midst  of  his 
friends. 

It  was  a pioneer’s  death,  merciful 
in  comparison  with  Indian  capture,  but 
Marion  clenched  his  hands  as  he  looked 
down  at  him.  Kenton  and  MacAfee  would 
not  have  thought  him  wanting  in  loyalty. 
No  one  who  had  heard  him  coolly  give  the 
unwelcome  order  to  man  the  sweeps  and 
postpone  vengeance  knew  what  it  had  cost 
him  to  give  it. 

The  shot  that  killed  Cutler  had  come 
from  some  lurking  Indian  or  white  rene- 
gade; or,  as  Cutler  himself  had  pointed  out, 
might  have  been  fired  for  the  purpose  of 
HS 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


provoking  the  ark’s  crew  to  land ; a war 
party  might  have  been  lying  in  ambush. 
Jimmy’s  warning  pointed  to  that.  Even  if 
the  miscreant  had  been  alone  and  remained 
hidden  in  the  recesses  of  the  cave,  it  would 
have  been  impossible  to  capture  him  with- 
out losing  one  or  more  men.  The  cur- 
rent, also,  was  unusually  rapid  and  the 
shore  rocky  and  dangerous.  It  had  been 
impossible  to  explain  all  this  to  the 
mutinous,  excited  men,  but  none  of  these 
facts  were  ignored  by  the  quick-witted 
young  captain,  who  held  all  their  lives  in 
trust  for  those  at  home,  as  well  as  the 
responsibility  for  their  goods,  and  the  ark, 
and  now,  as  he  looked  down  at  John 
Cutler,  he  seemed  to  be  saying: 

‘‘  If  I could  avenge  you — if  I only 
could ! ” 

It  was  only  a moment  that  he  stood  so. 
Then  a shot  rang  overhead,  quickly  fol- 
lowed by  a volley.  Feet  ran  along  the 
146 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


deck,  and  shouted  orders  were  repeated 
from  bow  to  stern.  Marion  ran  out,  look- 
ing to  the  priming  of  his  gun  as  he  caught 
it  up  from  a rack. 

Howls  and  shouts  were  mingling  in  a 
pandemonium  as  he  gained  the  deck.  He 
stumbled  over  Moses,  who  was  rolling 
over  and  over  in  the  clutches  of  one  of  the 
assailants. 

“Take  this  one, Marion,”  said  Lincoln, 
speaking  almost  hurriedly  ; “ he’s  got  my 
knife.  I’ll  be  back  for  him  when  I 
take  in  my  sweep.  Don’t  you  let  him 
get  away  without  getting  back  my  knife. 
Molly  Royce  gave  it  to  me.” 

“ Did  you  give  her  a penny  for  it  ? ” 
asked  Charlie  Hoyt,  as  he  staggered  by, 
half  carrying  a struggling  form  that  he 
lifted  bodily  when  he  reached  the  rail,  and 
threw  into  the  river. 

Marion  stooped  to  extricate  Moses  from 
his  difficulties,  and  received  a blow  from 

147 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Moses’  heavy  boot  heel  that  sent  him  reeling. 
Lewis  caught  him. 

Marion  staggered  to  his  feet.  “ Cut 
loose  their  boat,”  he  said,  stumbling  to- 
wards the  stern  where  the  attackers’  boat 
rode  in  tow. 

“ Hold  on — nothing  in  that  but  dead,” 
said  Lewis.  ‘‘We  shot  into  ’em,  just  as 
they  came  out  of  a cave  after  us.  They 
shot,  but  we  dropped  on  the  deck  after  we 
fired  and  they  didn’t  hit  us.  Mose  is 
through  with  his  Indian. — No!  He’s  under 
again  ! ” 

“ Take  my  musket  and  beat  him  off!  ” 
shouted  Kenton,  who  lay  helpless  in  the 
scuppers. 

Don't  shoot!"  cried  the  Indian,  sud- 
denly springing  up  and  lifting  his  hand, 
r m a white  man!  ” 

“It’s Jimmy,”  drawled  Lincoln,  coming 
back  from  his  careful  attention  to  the  star- 
board sweep.  “ Why  don’t  you  say  who 
148 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


you  are,  you  blockhead,  letting  Lewis  get  a 
bead  on  you  before  you  introduce  yourself? 
Have  you  got  my  knife,  Marion?” 

Jimmy,  for  it  was  he,  stood  panting 
over  the  prostrate  Mose.  “ I wanted  to  get 
through  lickin’  him,”  he  explained.  ‘T  was 
afraid  if  I said  who  I was  he’d  leave  me  for 
one  of  the  real  robbers.” 

And  so  I would  have,”  said  Mose, 
sitting  up  and  mopping  a bleeding  nose 
with  his  sleeve.  I don’t  think  you’ve  any 
right  to  settle  private  quarrels  when  there’s 
something  that  wants  doing  like  this.”  He 
was  incensed  that  he  had  expended  his 
valor  on  a friend  and  neighbor,  when  the 
others  had  repelled  real  enemies.  He  got 
to  his  feet  and  felt  of  himself  in  high  dis- 
content. “You’ve  broken  one  of  my  ribs, 
Jim  Claiborne,  and  you’ll  have  to  pay  for 
it,”  he  said,  fumbling  with  both  hands  to 
minister  to  his  bleeding  nose  and  his  inter- 
nal injuries  at  one  and  the  same  time. 


149 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


It  was  such  an  absurd  finish  to  a very 
grave  danger,  that  those  who  witnessed  it 
leaned  against  the  cabin  and  the  rail,  laughing 
until  they  held  their  sides.  Even  Kenton 
was  laughing,  although  a torn  ligament 
twisted  his  face  with  pain  the  next  minute. 

The  deck  showed  littered  with  scraps 
of  clothing  and  two  dead  bodies,  in  the 
moonlight.  The  members  of  the  crew 
who  were  unhurt  fell  to  straightening  up, 
and  Jimmy,  in  his  feathered  head-dress  and 
uncouth  paint,  took  command  of  the 
obsequies  of  his  recent  companions.  The 
two  on  deck  he  helped  to  drop  overboard, 
where  the  river  received  them  as  it  had 
often  received  their  victims. 

“There's  one  in  the  boat  you  want  to 
keep,"  he  said  to  Marion.  “ Whoever  shot 
him  gets  a reward  at  Natchez  from  the 
government.  He’s  got  a price  on  his 
head.  I’ll  show  you  which  he  is  in  the 
morning — one  of  Mason’s  gang.’’ 

150 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


Mason,  the  leader  of  a band  of  outlaws 
who  had  infested  the  river  for  years,  had 
been  killed  and  his  head  brought  into  the 
fort  for  ransom  the  year  previous. 

“ The  chap  we’ve  got  back  there,” 
Jimmy  explained,  condescendingly  to 
Moses,  ‘‘  is  Big  Harp.” 

At  the  name,  familiar  to  all  rivermen, 
the  ark’s  crew  gazed  upon  Jimmy  with 
something  akin  to  reverence.  He  accepted 
the  tribute  for  a full  minute,  growing  tall 
in  the  pride  of  it.  Then,  as  if  he  thought 
of  something  that  touched  him  more  closely 
than  pride,  his  uncouth,  painted  face 
changed.  He  went  over  to  Marion. 

I couldn’t  get  to  you  any  other  way,” 
he  explained.  ‘‘  If  I’d  come  aboard  when 
that  fellow  dragged  Lewis  into  the  river,  I 
ran  a good  chance  of  getting  killed  even 
before  I could  warn  you.  And  if  I hadn’t 
joined  in  the  attack,  they’d  have  killed  me. 
I had  to  lead  the  party.  You  see,  don’t 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

you,  Marion  ? There  wasn’t  no  other 
way.” 

He  looked  anxiously  into  Marion’s  face. 
“You  can  trust  me,”  he  added.  “I’ve 
seen  all  I want  of of  revenge,  and  out- 

lawry.” 

“Have  you?”  asked  Moses,  elbowing 
forward. 

“ Oh,”  said  Jimmy,  contemptuously — 
^^you!  Yes,  I’m  satisfied  with  you,  too. 
All  I want  is  to  stay  along  on  the  ark — 
along  with  the  horses  and  the  chickens, 
after  I’ve  licked  Louis  Gist.  I don’t  see 
him  anywhere.  I thought  he  was  goin’ 
along  with  you?” 

“He  went  overboard,  up  the  river,” 
explained  Lewis  Hoyt. 

The  thought  of  Louis  Gist  made  them 
silent  a moment,  and  Marion  remembered 
poor  Cutler,  the  only  other  victim  of  their 
perilous  voyage  so  far. 

“Oh,”  said  Jimmy;  “well,  I guess  I’m 
152 


THE  CAVE  ROBBERS 


not  going  to  hold  that  grudge  any  longer. 
Marion,  will  you  take  me  along?  ” 

Marion  had  stood  silent,  thinking  of 
Uncle  Amasa  hiding  his  breaking  heart 
under  a brave  front  as  the  ark  sailed  away. 
He  wanted  to  say,  “ Oh,  Jimmy,  why  did 
you  ! ” but  instead  of  that  he  held  out  his 
hand,  and  the  tall  young  Indian  grasped  it 
and  shook  it  up  and  down  in  a way  inherited 
from  an  Anglo-Saxon  ancestry. 

^‘/F/7/we?”  said  Marion;  ‘‘well,  you 
just  try  us ! Some  of  these  fellows  wanted 
to  mutiny  to  go  back  for  you,  on  account 
of  your  letter — didn’t  you,  Kenton  ? ” 

“ I think  you  might  look  at  my  leg,” 
grumbled  Kenton,  shamefacedly. 


153 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE  TORNADO 


HE  sun  had  risen  before  the 
crew  of  the  ark  finished 
their  grim  clearing  of  the 
decks  and  the  skiff  in  which 
the  outlaws  had  rowed  out 
to  attack  the  ark.  There 
was  no  way  of  telling  who 
had  fired  the  shot  which 
killed  the  notorious  outlaw,  on  whose  head 
a price  of  a thousand  dollars  had  been  fixed. 
Marion  was  in  favor  of  burying  him  in  the 
river  with  his  two  companions  of  the  skiff, 
but  Jimmy  had  the  matter  very  much  at 
heart. 


“Just  let  me  have  his  head,’’  pleaded 
that  young  savage.  “ If  I can  take  his  head 
to  the  fort  I won’t  ask  them  for  the  reward 
— honest,  I won’t.  But  this  Big  Harp  was 

154 


THE  TORNADO 


just  about  the  worst  of  the  whole  lot,  and 
mebby  if  the  others  learn  that  he’s  paid  for 
his  crimes  they  won’t  be  so  venturesome. 
He  was  worse  than  the  Indians.” 

He  spoke  with  so  much  emotion  that 
Marion  felt  the  force  of  his  argument.  If 
it  became  definitely  proven  that  Big  Harp 
had  been  delivered  up  to  justice  at  the  army 
post,  it  would  make  a great  difference  in 
the  safety  of  the  pioneers  and  rivermen. 
They — Big  Harp  and  Little  Harp,  and  John 
Mason — had  been  the  leaders  of  a band  of 
robbers,  thirty  or  more  in  number,  who  for 
ten  years  were  the  terror  of  Ohio  boatmen; 
they  attacked  ‘‘  arks  ” and  ‘‘  keels  ” alike, 
and  on  several  occasions  had  murdered  the  en- 
tire crew  of  the  captured  craft.  Their  actual 
headquarters  had  been  Diamond  Island,  just 
below  Henderson  ; but  the  caverns  higher  up 
the  river  made  convenient  lurking  places, 
from  which  they  could  sally  forth,  or  into 
which  they  could  retreat  secure  from  pursuit. 

155 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Jimmy  watched  the  captain  anxiously. 
In  the  bright  light  of  sunrise,  Jimmy’s 
paint  and  feathers  failed  grotesquely  to  con- 
ceal the  white  man.  His  head  had  been 
shorn,  all  but  the  scalp  and  forelock,  which 
were  put  up  in  a piece  of  tin,  with  a bunch 
of  turkey  feathers,  while  the  feathers  of 
at  least  two  turkeys  hung  to  the  hair  of  his 
scalp. 

“You’re  a sight,”  said  Moses,  as  he 
gazed  on  these  uncouth  adornments,  while 
Marion  was  making  up  his  mind. 

“ I’d  ’a  been  more  of  a sight  if  this  Big 
Harp  had  had  his  way  with  me,”  answered 
Jimmy,  whose  eyes  never  left  the  young 
captain’s  face.  “ He  wanted  to  cut  off  my 
ears  and  eyelids  because  I wouldn’t  tell  him 
exactly  when  the  ark  would  sail  from  Fish 
Creek.  Only  for  Logan — the  one  I went 
away  with  from  my  cabin — he  would  have 
done  it,  too.  Logan  was  a pretty  good 
friend  to  me  because  I helped  him  to  get 
156 


THE  TORNADO 

away  when  he  had  a broken  leg.  He 
would  have  been  caught  and  handed  over 
to  the  authorities  more  than  once  if  I 
hadn’t  been  along.  He  was  pretty  help- 
less. After  he  was  killed  by  the  Shawnees 
I lost  my  job,  though,  and  as  the  robbers 
didn’t  have  any  agricultural  employment 
for  me  (they  said  that  that  was  all  I was  fit 
for,  because  I wouldn’t  turn  pirate),  they  took 
my  gun  away  from  me  and  launched  me  in 
a canoe  that  happened  to  be  hauled  up  in 
a creek  where  we  camped.  There  was  a 
dead  Shawnee  lying  by  it ; and,  before  they 
let  me  go.  Big  Harp  and  that  one-eyed  fel- 
low that  you  dumped  out  of  the  skiff  just 
now,  thought  it  would  be  fun  to  decorate 
me  with  his  head-dress,  so  that  I shouldn’t 
miss  the  clothes  they  took  from  me.  Those 
outlaws  actually  lost  a good  hour  fixing  me 
up,  and  then  put  me  into  the  canoe  and 
shoved  me  off  and  told  me  I could  go  on 
and  join  my  father  at  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs, 

157 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


and  maybe  he'd  recognize  me  by  the 
resemblance  between  us.  They  wouldn't 
give  me  even  a day's  rations.  Big  Harp 
said  the  ark  would  be  along  and  that  you'd 
take  me  in." 

Jimmy  told  these  things  stolidly,  with- 
out laying  any  particular  stress  on  them 
until  he  came  to  the  way  in  which  Big 
Harp  and  his  gang  had  amused  themselves 
by  making  him  into  a feathered  object  of 
derision  before  launching  him  on  the  river 
without  food  and  with  no  more  covering 
than  the  dead  savage  had  worn.  His  voice 
trembled  with  rage  when  he  told  of  that, 
and  Moses,  who  was  always  the  first  to  feel 
any  strong  emotion  in  those  around  him, 
and  to  respond  to  it,  shut  his  fists  passion- 
ately. 

‘‘  I wish  we  could  kill  them  over 
again,"  Mose  ejaculated.  ‘‘  We  killed  'em 
too  easy.  They  had  ought  to  have  hung." 

Jimmy  looked  at  him.  It  was  the  first 
158 


THE  TORNADO 


moment  he  had  taken  his  somber  eyes  off 
of  Marion  since  he  had  asked  for  the  out- 
law’s head. 

“Yes,  Mose,”  he  said,  “even  hanging 
would  have  been  too  good  for  ’em.” 

“ How  did  they  get  hold  of  you  again.?  ” 
asked  Marion. 

“ I drifted  for  two  days  and  nights  before 
I could  get  ashore,”  said  Jimmy,  taking  up 
his  story  where  he  had  left  off.  “ They 
weren’t  able  to  find  the  paddle  that  the 
dead  Indian  had  had,  or  else  they  had 
hidden  it  themselves,  so  I had  nothing  to 
control  the  canoe  with,  and  I couldn’t  get 
to  shore.” 

“ Why  didn’t  you  drop  overboard  and 
swim  for  it?”  asked  Lewis. 

“ In  that  ice  water,  with  that  current 
and  no  knowing  how  long  it  would  take 
me  ? You  couldn’t  swim  in  the  river,  even 
to-day,  for  fifteen  minutes,  without  doubling 
up  with  a cramp  and  going  down  ! What’s 

159 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


the  use  of  asking  me  a fool  question  like 
that?” 

‘‘Yes,”  added  Moses,  “what  do  you 
want  to  go  interrupting  him  for?” 

“You’re  interrupting  just  as  much  your- 
self,” retorted  Lewis. 

Jimmy  smiled  at  them,  and  then  went 
on  addressing  Marion.  “You  get  mighty 
hungry  when  you’ve  been  floating  down 
the  river  two  or  three  days.  Finally,  I pad- 
died  with  my  hands  into  a creek  into 
which  the  water  had  backed  up  considerably. 
It  was  along  about  sundown,  I reckon. 
There  were  some  men  working  on  board  an 
ark — not  as  big  as  this,  and  not  very  much 
more  than  just  decked  over.  They  were 
hammering  so  hard,  trying  to  get  all  they 
could  done  before  night,  most  likely,  that 
they  di-dn’t  hear  me  shout  to  them,  but 
went  right  on  working  while  I got  my 
canoe  beached  and  started  to  ’em.  I had  to 
pick  my  way  through  the  blackberry  bushes 
i6o 


THE  TORNADO 


and  grapevines  that  gre\v  thick  along  the 
creek,  and  I was  so  sick  from  hunger  that 
I expect  I sort  of  crept  towards  ’em,  won- 
dering if  Td  have  strength  to  get  to 
them  before  they  stopped  work  and  went 
home,  and  if  Fd  have  strength  left  to  shout 
when  they  stopped  hammering.  I was  so 
glad  to  see  honest  men  that  that  made  me 
sort  of  sick,  too.  Fd  ’a  been  pearter  if  it 
had  been  Indians  or  outlaws.  But,  just  the 
thought  that  I was  in  sight  of  friends  made 
me  tremble  so  I couldn’t  scarcely  stand  up. 
I never  remembered  my  head-dress.  When 
I was  in  the  canoe  I kept  it  on  because  I 
thought  if  I passed  any  Indians  they 
wouldn’t  notice  me  so  much,  and  when  I 
got  into  the  creek  and  saw  the  white  men 
I forgot  everything  except  to  try  to  get  to 
them  as  quick  as  I knew  how.” 

‘‘  Did  they  fire  at  you  ? ” exclaimed 
Moses. 

‘‘  Fire .?  They  fired  the  minute  they 

i6i 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

clapped  eyes  on  my  head-dress  over  the 
bushes.  They  didn’t  wait  to  see  the  color 
of  the  rest  of  me.  The  minute  they  fired 
I understood,  but  it  was  too  late.  Some 
Indians  who  were  passing  by  ran  in  on 
them  before  they’d  time  to  load  again,  and 
scalped  the  whole  outfit,  and  took  me  cap- 
tive. They  were  pleased  to  death  with  my 
decorations — I don’t  know  why  ; and  they 
made  a sort  of  mascot  of  me,  except  that  I 
had  to  carry  the  loads,  when  we  traveled, 
and  they  showed  me  by  signs  that  I’d  have 
to  do  squaw’s  work  when  we  got  to  camp. 
They  fed  me  like  themselves,  but  I was  too 
faint  to  eat  their  sort  of  cooking  ; and  you 
would  be,  too,  if  you  had  seen  the  way 
they  cooked.  Then  I showed  them  I 
wanted  to  cook  for  myself,  and  they  let  me 
do  it  to  get  back  my  strength.  I reckon  it 
must  have  been  a week.  I didn’t  keep 
track  of  time,  and  we  didn’t  go  near 
any  settlements.  One  night  we  camped  in 
162 


THE  TORNADO 

the  mouth  of  a cave  near  the  river.  It  was 
raining,  and  it  had  been  raining  all  day.  I 
expect  I was  feverish  and  my  head  was 
flighty,  for  I got  an  idea  into  it  that  Td 
find  the  other  mouth  of  the  cave,  which 
very  likely  overlooked  the  river,  and  sit  in 
it  and  wait  for  you  to  come  by  in  the  ark. 
It  was  a little  past  the  first  quarter,  and  I 
thought  it  had  been  the  last  quarter  of  the 
moon  when  I left  my  cabin  with  Logan. 
You  see  I was  mixed,  but  I thought  I had 
it  all  clearly  reasoned  out.  So  I wandered 
off  into  the  cave.” 

Did  the  Indians  chase  you?”  asked 
Moses. 

No,”  said  Jimmy,  ‘‘I  don’t  reckon 
they  did.  They  had  too  much  sense,  prob- 
ably, after  they’d  found  how  far  in  I’d 
gone.  They  hadn’t  any  idea  of  getting 
lost  themselves.  That  cave  was  a hundred 
caves,  all  partitioned  off  and  running  in  and 
out  of  each  other.  I expect  I pretty  near 
163 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


died  in  them.  All  I remember  is  creeping 
and  crawling  along  on  my  hands  and 
knees  most  of  the  time,  half  the  time  in 
the  water  and  half  the  time  out,  and  then  I 
went  sort  of  crazy  and  beat  against  the 
rocks  and  screamed  until  the  whole  cavern 
mocked  and  mocked  me.  The  next  thing 
I knew  I was  lying  on  blankets  in  a cave 
that  was  fitted  up  as  a hiding-place,  and 
I learned  that  my  rescuers  were  part  of  Big 
Harp’s  gang.  When  Big  Harp  and  the 
rest  came,  they  were  so  amused  they 
couldn’t  do  enough  for  me.  They  said 
they  had  come  down  to  meet  you  folks, 
and  that  I should  lead  the  party.” 

How  did  you  come  to  have  the  letter 
to  write  the  warning  on  ? ” asked  Moses, 
whose  imagination  had  supplied  the  rest  of 
the  story,  and  run  ahead  of  the  narrator. 

“Big  Horn  wasn’t  a good  reader,”  said 
Jimmy,  “and  I had  been  given  the  letter, 
to  make  out  what  he  couldn’t  make  out  for 
164 


THE  TORNADO 


himself.  Big  Horn  thought  it  said  some- 
thing about  the  Governor  sending  some 
money  by  the  brig  that  was  to  leave  Mari- 
etta with  the  ‘fresh/  and  he  thought  it 
might  be  more  worth  while  to  make  sure 
of  the  brig  than  to  capture  you  fellows. 
But  when  he  learned  that  the  word  that  he 
thought  was  ‘money’  was  ^ militia^'  he  lost 
interest  in  the  letter,  and  they  decided  not 
to  wait  very  long  for  you  folks.  If  you 
hadn’t  come  in  a day  or  two,  they  would 
have  gone  back  further  into  the  caves  until 
the  brig  was  safely  past.” 

“ I suppose,”  said  Lincoln,  “ that  the 
ark  we  passed,  where  the  men  were  scalped, 
was  the  place  where  you  were  captured.” 

Jimmy  looked  absently  at  Lincoln.  “I 
guess  that’s  about  all,”  he  said  to  Marion. 
“ Big  Harp  warned  me,  when  we  attacked 
you,  that  if  I turned  on  any  of  the  gang  he 
and  the  rest  of  his  crowd  would  avenge 
themselves  on  any  of  you  they  captured,  if 
165 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


they  got  the  best  of  the  fight.  That’s  why 
I didn’t  kill  any  of  them  when  the  fight 
began.” 

‘‘That’s  why  you  pitched  into 
asked  Moses,  in  a sympathetic  voice. 

“ Yes,”  said  Jimmy.  “ I didn’t  want 
to  seem  to  be  idling.”  He  fixed  Marion 
with  his  steady,  dogged  eyes.  “ Now,  may 
I have  Big  Harp’s  head  to  take  to  the  com- 
mandant at  Natchez } ” 

Marion  looked  from  one  to  another  of 
the  arksmen. 

“ Tes  they  shouted. 

“ Yes,”  said  Marion. 

Cutler’s  body  was  buried  that  evening 
on  a wooded  eminence  of  Cumberland 
Island,  overlooking  the  Ohio  and  opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland  River. 
Many  such  solitary  graves  double-line  the 
banks  of  these  great  water-ways  — the 
unmarked  resting  places  of  victims  of  sav- 
age hate,  or  outlaw  violence  and  robbery. 

i66 


THE  TORNADO 


Later,  in  the  night,  the  ark  passed  Diamond 
Island,  so  long  the  home  of  the  river  pirates. 
It  loomed  beside  them,  safe,  silent,  wooded, 
wrapped  in  peace. 

The  next  morning  they  were  floating 
across  the  broad  mouth  of  the  Tennessee 
River,  nearly  half  as  wide  as  the  Ohio  itself, 
past  the  site  of  the  pretty  city  of  Paducah. 
At  two  that  afternoon  Cairo  was  sighted, 
with  the  broad  channel  of  the  Mississippi 
in  plain  view  over  the  forest  to  the  north- 
west. 

Little  enough  like  the  populous  and  com- 
mercially important  Cairo  of  to-day,  was  the 
Cairo  of  a century  ago  ! Not  a house  was 
then  to  be  discerned  on  the  dreary  mud-flats. 
The  “ town  ’’  consisted — this  is  not  a joke 
— of  a single  long  flatboat,  moored  by  two 
infirm  old  cables  to  stumps  ashore ! Aboard 
this  capacious  ‘‘  broadhorn,”  however,  there 
was  a tavern,”  a ‘‘saloon,”  a smithy  and  a 
general  store ; and,  altogether,  the  queer 
167 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


craft  harbored  seventy  or  eighty  persons, 
men  and  women.  As  was  not  unusual  in 
those  days,  the  saloon  did  the  larger 
share  of  the  business,  and  of  the  char- 
acter of  these  early  inhabitants  of  Cairo 
the  arksmen  were  soon  able  to  form  an 
opinion. 

For,  contrary  to  their  captain’s  wishes, 
Merrick,  Charlie  Hoyt,  Simon  Corson, 
Kenton  and  MacAfee  insisted  on  paying 
the  floating  ‘‘town”  a visit,  to  indulge  in  a 
social  glass  and  hear  the  news  of  the  two 
rivers.  The  ark  was,  therefore,  tied  up 
for  the  night  a few  hundred  yards  above 
the  “ city,”  which  six  of  the  older  men 
visited  in  the  skiff. 

During  the  evening,  however,  an  alter- 
cation occurred  between  the  visitors  and  a 
crew  of  rough  fellows  at  the  saloon ; and 
in  the  unseemly  “ mix-up  ” which  followed, 
Simon  Corson  had  his  right  eye  badly  in- 
jured— in  a most  unfair  fight,  it  was  claimed. 

i68 


THE  TORNADO 


He  came  back  to  the  ark,  in  that  pitiful 
condition,  a little  past  midnight.  MacAfee, 
also,  had  been  savagely  kicked  and  beaten. 

So  incensed  were  Corson’s  companions 
that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  Marion  pre- 
vented them  from  turning  on  the  town 
with  their  rifles,  at  dead  of  night.  He  did 
not  forget  the  indignity,  however,  and 
‘‘  Cairo  ” had  yet  to  hear  from  him  on 
this  score. 

As  for  Corson,  he  was  in  his  bunk  for 
two  weeks,  and  suffered  a permanent  dis- 
figurement. It  proved  a costly  social  glass 
for  him. 

Casting  off  very  early  the  next  morning, 
the  arksmen  dropped  down  past  Cairo, 
being  jeered  from  the  saloon  door  as  they 
did  so,  and  soon  reached  the  confluence  of 
the  two  mighty  rivers. 

It  was  a scene  of  quiet,  yet  imposing, 
grandeur.  The  strong,  muddy  current  of 
the  Ohio,  fully  a mile  in  width  at  flood, 
169 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


pushed  forcefully  out  in  opposition,  and  for 
a time  seemed  to  have  the  mastery ; but 
soon  the  more  voluminous,  stronger,  and 
even  muddier  current  of  the  great  Father  of 
Waters  prevailed,  and  with  a thousand 
boiling  eddies  and  vast  upheavals  of  the 
contending  streams,  the  Ohio  was  forced  to 
yield  and  was  borne  away  captive. 

It  was  a matter  of  no  little  surprise  to 
Lewis  and  Moses — this  being  their  first 
voyage — to  find  the  Mississippi  below  the 
confluence  with  the  Ohio  no  wider.  But 
the  depth  was  manifestly  much  greater  and 
the  current  more  rapid.  Before  noon  that 
day  the  ark  was  passing  Iron  Banks,  a line 
of  dark-red  bluffs  along  the  left  shore. 

The  breaking  of  a sweep,  however, 
compelled  the  men  to  tie  up  for  two  or 
three  hours,  and  while  they  were  here  a 
“keeT’  of  forty  tons,  from  St.  Louis,  came 
alongside  and  spoke  them,  in  the  hope  of 
buying  eggs  and  poultry. 

170 


A “keel”  from  ST.  LOUIS  CAME  ALONGSIDE 


Page  lyo 


w 


» * 


Uplift 


‘■V*'r’/,?S 


• I “ 


^jrvv  ,- 

•^ '■« . ‘ , 1.  f 


»-  - 


THE  TORNADO 


Thus  far  they  had  seen  but  few  boats 
on  the  Ohio,  and  had  actually  spoken  but 
two,  both  from  up  the  Wabash — the 
one  a broadhorn,  the  other  a keel 
from  Vincennes.  Yet  now,  as  a chance 
result  of  the  erratic  navigation  of  those 
days,  the  Mississippi  seemed  suddenly 
to  swarm  with  ascending  and  descending 
flats,  keels  and  skiffs.  Merry  salutes  from 
the  horns  and  bugles  of  the  boatmen  were 
heard  every  few  minutes. 

A ship,  too,  was  lying-by  in  the  bay 
below  Iron  Banks ; and  a smithy  ’’ 
also  passed  while  the  captain  of  the  keel 
was  hailing  them — a cheery  ding-dong  from 
the  blacksmiths'  anvils  resounding  from  the 
steep  bank. 

Soon  after  the  keel  had  left  them  two 
large  arks  from  Kaskaskia  veered  in,  to  pass 
the  time  of  day  and  ask  whether  any  late 
news  had  been  heard  from  down  the  river. 
For  the  attitude  of  the  Spaniards  toward 
171 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

Americans  at  New  Orleans  was  now  the 
absorbing  topic  of  interest.  Whether  they 
could  make  a market  or  not  meant  much 
to  these  arksmen,  whose  all  was  often  at 
stake  on  the  chances  of  a voyage. 

A skiff  and  two  “ covered  sleds  ” from 
Cincinnati,  loaded  with  horses,  also  came 
in  sight  up-stream,  and  seeing  the  three 
arks  lying-by  in  company,  they  also  veered 
in  and  joined  the  little  flotilla  at  the  foot  of 
Iron  Banks. 

No  such  warm  weather  had  as  yet  been 
experienced,  not  even  at  Big  Bone  Creek. 

Herons  and  other  aquatic  birds  were 
flapping  lazily  up  and  down  the  shores;  the 
sunshine  was  so  hot  and  the  air  so  stagnant 
that  the  horses  and  other  live  stock  beneath 
the  low  roofs  of  the  arks  were  manifestly 
distressed. 

There  was  much  talk  of  a hostile 
Indian  band  at  Island  No.  lo;  and  the 
captains  of  the  two  arks  from  Kaskaskia 
172 


THE  TORNADO 


proposed  an  arrangement  very  common  in 
those  days,  namely,  that  they  should  make 
the  three  broadhorns  and  the  two  covered 
sleds  fast  to  each  other  by  spars  and  haw- 
sers, and  so  float  down  in  company,  for 
mutual  aid  and  protection  in  case  of  attack, 
either  by  the  savages  or  riotous  white  boat- 
men. 

Self-reliance  and  a disposition  to  manage 
his  own  boat  without  depending  on  others, 
were  leading  traits  of  Marion  Royce’s 
character  ; but,  since  the  other  captains 
asked  it  and  his  own  crew  liked  the  idea, 
he  consented  ; and  the  three  larger  craft 
were  made  fast  abreast,  with  the  two  Cin- 
cinnati flats  and  the  skiff  astern,  and  in  this 
order  they  poled  off  from  Iron  Banks.  . 

It  was  now  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  the  sun  still  very  hot  and  the  air 
close  and  sultry.  Clouds  were  rising  in  the 
northwest,  however,  with  promise  of  a 
breeze  or  a shower ; and,  being  desirous  of 

173 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


catching  the  first  cool  breath  that  came, 
Moses  Ayer,  Lewis  Hoyt  and  Wistar  Royce 
climbed  on  the  roof  of  their  ark.  Here 
they  could  overlook  the  entire  flotilla,  as 
well  as  the  shores  of  the  river. 

The  peculiar  aspect  of  the  sky  at  once 
attracted  their  attention. 

‘‘  That’s  a mighty  queer-looking  cloud ! ” 
Lewis  exclaimed.  ‘‘  Looks  like  smoke,  and 
see  how  the  edges  of  it  are  rolling  in  to- 
gether ! ” 

‘‘  There’s  a thunder-squall  coming,”  said 
Wistar.  ‘‘  It’s  coming  fast,  too  !” 

“ Below  there.  Mack,”  he  shouted  to 
his  brother,  who  was  forward  under  the 
roof.  ‘‘  Squall  coming  ! ” 

The  young  captain  climbed  to  the  roof 
to  see  for  himself,  for  the  roofs  of  the  two 
large  Kaskaskia  boats  on  each  side  of  them 
obstructed  the  view  from  the  deck  of  the 
ark.  He  had  hardly  done  so,  however, 
when  they  saw  the  trees  on  the  other  shore 

174 


THE  TORNADO 


of  the  river  sway,  bend,  and  twist  violently. 
Branches,  twigs  and  leaves  were  whirled 
upward,  and  immediately  the  intervening 
water  of  the  river  was  wildly  agitated, 
appearing  to  rise  in  the  air  in  vast  white 
sheets. 

No  opportunity  was  afforded  for  precau- 
tions of  any  sort.  They  barely  had  time  to 
swing  down  from  the  roof  when,  with  a 
wild  howl,  the  squall — a true  tornado — was 
upon  them  ! 

Everything  loose  on  the  roof — the  large 
poultry-cages,  spare  sweeps,  oars,  setting- 
poles,  and  a part  of  the  mammoth  bones — 
were  whirled  upward  and  away  ; and,  not 
only  from  their  ark,  but  from  all  the  others, 
everything  loose  went  flying  to  leeward. 
The  roof  of  the  ark  to  windward  of  them 
was  torn  off,  and,  with  a terrific  crash,  went 
hurtling  over  their  heads. 

The  shouts  of  the  men  blended  with 
the  squalling  of  poultry  and  the  hideous 
I7S 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


squeals  of  terrified  or  injured  horses.  Im- 
mediately, too,  the  heavy  craft  felt  the 
impulse  of  the  tornado,  and  went  drifting 
rapidly  before  it. 

Whether  they  would  have  been  safer 
apart  than  together  is  not  easy  to  say.  The 
two  flatboats  astern  prevented  the  arks  from 
using  their  sweeps ; and,  seeing  that  all  six 
of  the  boats  were  being  blown  rapidly 
toward  the  bank,  Marion  Royce  shouted 
to  the  captains  of  the  two  Kaskaskia  arks 
to  cut  the  hawsers  and  try  to  get  clear  of 
each  other,  so  as  to  use  their  sweeps. 

If  they  heard,  which  is  doubtful, 

nothing  was  done  ; in  fact,  the  craft  to 

windward  was  in  great  distress  from  waves 
that  were  breaking  aboard  her. 

Captain  Royce  then  seized  an  ax  and 
cut  the  cables  himself.  His  instinct  was  to 
get  free.  As  he  did  so  one  of  the  spars 
caught,  and  slipping  inboard,  crashed 

through  the  gun-room,  seriously  injuring 

176 


THE  TORNADO 

MacAfee,  who  had  run  in  there  for  shelter. 
But  the  pressure  of  the  wind  still  held  the 
boats  together ; they  drove  on  before  the 
gale,  and  within  five  minutes  all  went 
ashore  where  a gravel  bank  rose  steep  out 
of  deep  water. 

Fortunately  for  the  ark,  it  had  the 
middle  berth  ; for,  owing  to  the  momentum 
and  weight  of  the  mass  of  boats,  the 
Kaskaskia  ark  next  the  bank  gave  beam,  and 
was  so  crushed  that  it  immediately  filled  and 
sank,  the  crew  with  difficulty  escaping 
across  to  the  other  boats. 

One  of  the  flats  astern — the  one  inshore 
— also  sank.  Six  of  the  horses  aboard  it, 
whose  halters  it  was  impossible  to  cut,  were 
drawn  down ; the  other  fourteen  of  the 
poor  animals  succeeded  in  keeping  their 
heads  above  water.  The  boatmen  were 
powerless  to  do  anything  for  them;  indeed, 
the  attention  of  all  was  given  to  rescuing 
the  crews  of  the  two  wrecked  boats. 


177 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Rain  was  now  falling  in  such  sheets 
that  it  was  impossible  to  see  objects  twenty 
yards  away.  What  became  of  the  six-ton 
skiff  that  had  joined  them  no  one  knew. 
So  dire  was  the  confusion  and  uproar  of  the 
disaster  that  none  of  the  survivors  was  able 
to  give  any  information  concerning  it — 
whether  it  was  swamped,  with  all  on  board, 
or  had  got  free  and  gone  out  of  sight  below 
the  foot  of  the  bluff.  It  was  manned  by 
four  pioneers,  one  of  them  a clergyman 
named  Willis,  from  the  new  settlement  at 
Fort  Jefferson,  a little  below  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio. 

Two  men  had  been  drowned  or  crushed 
on  board  the  wrecked  Kaskaskia  ark  ; the 
other  one  had  also  lost  a man,  probably 
knocked  overboard  and  drowned  when  the 
roof  was  blown  off.  A man  was  also 
reported  missing  from  the  Cincinnati  flat- 
boat. 

Even  after  the  tornado  had  passed  and 
178 


THE  TORNADO 


the  waves  subsided,  the  three  craft  which 
had  escaped  were  in  bad  plight,  having  lost 
nearly  all  their  sweeps,  poles  and  other 
gear.  Evening  was  at  hand,  and  being 
unable  to  get  away,  they  lay  there  against 
the  bank  all  night. 

By  working  hard  with  lines  and  a 
pulley-block,  eight  of  the  horses  in  the 
water  were  hauled  out.  The  other  flat 
from  Cincinnati,  being  a small  craft,  could 
take  but  three  of  them  aboard,  however, 
and  what  to  do  with  the  poor  animals  be- 
came a serious  question  with  their  almost 
equally  luckless  owners.  Our  arksmen 
finally  made  shift  to  find  room  for  them 
alongside  their  own  horses.  Captain  Royce 
consented  to  take  them  on  shares,  and  pay 
one-half  what  he  could  sell  them  for  in 
New  Orleans,  when  he  came  back  up  the 
river  in  the  fall. 

A large  brindled  wolf-dog,  called 
‘‘  Tige,'’  from  one  of  the  wrecked  boats, 
179 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


also  came  aboard  and  savagely  refused  to 
go  ashore  with  his  former  friends  and 
master. 

It  was  a dreary  night  for  all  concerned  ; 
doubly  so  for  the  crews  of  the  foundered 
boats,  who  had  now  no  alternative  before 
them  save  to  trudge  disconsolately  back 
along  the  river  bank  for  hundreds  of  miles, 
and  deem  themselves  fortunate  if  they 
reached  home  without  losing  their  scalps. 

Working  by  lantern-light,  our  own 
arksmen  hewed  out  new  steering  sweeps 
from  planks  ripped  from  the  bulwarks,  and 
succeeded  in  getting  off  at  daylight.  They 
had  had  enough  of  river  partnerships. 
Captain  Royce  gave  such  friendly  aid  as  he 
was  able  to  the  other  boats,  but  firmly 
declined  to  establish  any  closer  relations 
with  them.  Altogether  this  first  day  on 
the  Mississippi  had  been  an  exciting  one, 
but  even  greater  perils  were  at  hand. 


i8o 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE  LANDSLIDE 

EVER  day  dawned 
fairer  than  that  follow- 
ing the  tornado.  Our 
arksmen,  thankful  to 
have  escaped  the  fate 
of  their  fellow -voya- 
gers, put  off  early,  and  at  noon  were  passing 
Island  No.  lo. 

Here,  by  Marion  Royce’s  orders,  the 
men  took  their  rifles  and  lay  concealed 
below  the  rail  of  the  ark,  Merrick  and 
Charlie  Hoyt  alone  standing  exposed  at  the 
sweeps.  After  this  fashion  they  passed 
down  the  narrow  reach  on  the  left,  keep- 
ing a sharp  eye  to  both  shores. 

No  enemies  were  sighted,  however,  and 
at  four  in  the  afternoon  the  infant  town  of 
New  Madrid  came  into  view,  on  its  pretty 

i8i 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


plain  along  the  right  bank,  which  as  yet 
the  river  had  not  gnawed  away.  The 
place  was  one  of  the  feeble  efforts  of  the 
Spaniards  to  establish  colonies  in  the  Miss- 
issippi Valley. 

For,  although  at  the  date  of  our  story, 
the  Spanish  were  in  possession  of  New 
Orleans  and  the  lower  course  of  the  river, 
this  control  was  nominal  and  temporary,  the 
outcome  of  treaty  between  France  and 
Spain,  rather  than  real  or  permanent.  The 
two  nations  which,  for  the  century  prior  to 
1803,  had  so  long  and  so  bitterly  contended 
for  the  mastery  of  this  peerless  region, 
were  France  and  England;  and,  for  a period 
of  time  as  great  as  that  which  has  elapsed 
since  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  the  whole 
Mississippi  Valley  was  virtually  French 
territory.  The  Louisiana  Purchase  marked 
the  close  of  an  era,  the  end  of  a century  of 
French  sovereignty;  this  event  transferred 
the  control  of  by  far  the  most  important 
182 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


portion  of  what  is  now  the  United  States, 
from  the  French  to  the  Anglo-American 
people. 

At  New  Madrid  not  less  than  a hundred 
river  craft  of  every  variety  were  tied  up, 
either  for  purposes  of  trade  or  repair ; 
‘‘keels”  and  barges  from  Pittsburgh,  the 
full-rigged  brig  from  Marietta,  four  arks 
from  Vincennes,  flatboats  from  far  up  the 
Wabash,  with  a great  number  of  skiffs, 
and  pirogues  from  the  various  military 
posts.  So  diverse  and  heterogeneous  a 
gathering  of  boatmen  could  hardly  meet 
and  mingle  without  friction;  and,  in  strict 
point  of  fact,  the  first  thing  our  arksmen 
saw,  on  veering  to  the  bank,  was  a “ rough- 
and-tumble  ” between  the  Marietta  brig's 
crew  and  some  boatmen  from  up  the 
Wabash. 

The  latter  had  a flatboat  loaded  with 
sugar,  and  live  turkeys,  not  less  than  three 
hundred  of  which  fine  birds  were  confined 

183 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

in  huge  wooden  cages  on  the  roof  of  their 
craft.  The  brig’s  crew,  victorious  in  the 
scuffle,  levied  heavily  on  the  flatboatmen’s 
turkeys. 

At  last,  the  little  garrison  at  the  post 
attempted  to  restore  order,  but  with  indif- 
ferent success ; the  brig’s  crew  threatened  to 
sack  the  town  if  molested,  and  appeared 
able  to  make  good  the  menace.  Such  was 
New  Madrid  in  1803. 

Marion  Royce’s  only  object  in  landing 
here  was  to  procure  two  strong  sweeps  for 
the  ark.  Having  accomplished  this  in  the 
course  of  an  hour  or  two,  he  resumed  his 
voyage  and  continued  for  two  hours  longer 
before  tying  up  in  the  eddy  at  the  foot  of 
an  island  for  the  night. 

Here,  both  the  arksmen  and  their  live 
stock  w'ere  badly  tortured  by  large,  ravenous 
mosquitoes.  Moreover,  they  sorely  missed 
their  poultry,  this  and  the  milk  from  their  two 
cows  being  important  items  of  the  food  supply. 

184 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


They  were  also  rendered  apprehensive 
from  a bold  visit  by  a canoe  containing 
four  Indians,  supposed  to  be  Choctaws,  that 
came  alongside  the  ark  and  held  up  a 
bearskin  as  if  to  sell  it.  But  Marion  was  of 
the  opinion  that  their  real  motive  was  to 
learn  if  an  attack  on  them  would  be  likely 
to  prove  successful.  Three  men  watched, 
by  turns,  all  night. 

As  they  were  putting  off  at  daybreak, 
three  lumber-laden  arks  from  Pittsburgh 
appeared  and  made  a landing  near  them  for 
repairs,  one  of  them  having  run  on  a snag 
during  the  night.  That  day  they  made 
about  sixty  miles,  passing  Island  No.  31  at 
four  in  the  afternoon;  and  then  crossing 
over  to  avoid  Flour  Island,  tied  up  for  the 
night  at  the  foot  of  a high  bluff  of  yellow 
clay,  crowned  by  forest. 

A huge  tree  which  had  fallen  down  the 
bank  afforded  opportunity  to  make  fast, 
although  the  current  was  here  very  swift 
185 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


and  strong,  making  in  against  the  bank  so 
forcefully  that  the  ark  was  pressed  hard 
against  the  great  branches  of  the  tree-top, 
which  lay  partly  in  the  water. 

Flour  Island,  so  called  from  a disaster 
to  flour-laden  boats  which  had  recently 
occurred  there,  lay  over  opposite  them ; 
and  there  appeared  to  be  an  Indian  camp 
near  the  lower  end  of  it,  judging  from  the 
fires,  and  an  uproar  of  savage  outcries  that 
was  borne  to  their  ears.  No  such  swift, 
dangerous  currents  had  been  encountered 
anywhere  since  the  voyage  began  as  these 
which  set  in  through  the  ‘‘  races  ’’  between 
the  islands  and  bluffs.  The  ark,  being  deep- 
laden, they  were  not  a little  apprehensive 
for  her  safety. 

Just  as  they  were  making  fast,  too, 
another  lumber-laden  barge  came  drifting 
past,  close  into  shore,  and  struck  them  with 
such  force  as  to  stave  in  the  bulwarks  aft  and 
break  two  stanchions  that  supported  the  roof. 

i86 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


As  the  two  boats  hung  in  contact  for  a 
moment,  there  was  a singular  accession  to 
the  crew  of  the  ark.  A large  pet  bear, 
terrified,  perhaps,  by  the  crash,  and  seeing, 
as  he  thought,  a way  of  escaping  ashore, 
broke  his  chain  and  leaped  across  from  the 
lumber  barge  to  the  roof  of  the  ark  just  as 
the  two  boats  swung  clear  of  each  other. 

With  a muttered  malediction  from  her 
captain,  who  seemed  in  a bad  temper,  the 
lumber  boat  drifted  away  on  the  swift  cur- 
rent. The  bear,  meanwhile,  was  making 
for  the  shore,  but  when  he  attempted  to 
clamber  down  the  other  side  of  the  roof, 
his  chain  caught  in  a crack  between  the 
planks  and  brought  him  up  short  at  the 
bulwarks  of  the  main  deck  below. 

Thus,  the  pet  of  the  lumbermen  was 
transferred  from  one  craft  to  the  other,  and 
all  in  a space  of  less  than  five  seconds  of 
time ! 

In  the  gathering  dusk  the  arksmen 
187 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


stood  staring  after  the  barge  which  had 
given  them  so  rude  a salute.  Captain  Royce 
then  hailed  them: 

‘‘  Hallo,  the  barge  ! ” 

“ Hallo,  the  ark ! ” was  the  gruff 
response  from  the  receding  craft. 

‘‘You’ve  left  something!”  Marion 
shouted,  laughing. 

“And  good  riddance!”  was  the  uncivil 
response. 

Meanwhile  the  wolf-dog,  Tige,  who 
considered  himself  guardian  of  the  ark, 
set  upon  the  bear,  tooth  and  nail,  but 
came  off  badly  from  the  encounter.  The 
crew  gathered  round,  and  after  looking  the 
newcomer  over  by  lantern-light,  secured 
him  more  comfortably  and  fed  him.  He 
was  a fine  black  bear,  about  a year  and  a 
half  old. 

After  supper,  and  as  the  evening  passed, 
Marion  Royce,  according  to  his  custom 
when  repairs  were  needed,  set  to  work  to 

i88 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


replace  the  broken  stanchion  posts,  and 
called  Moses  Ayer  to  hold  the  lantern  for 
him.  Lewis  Hoyt  was  on  the  roof  out  for- 
ward, doing  lookout  duty  and  watching  the 
fires  on  Flour  Island;  but  the  rest  of  the 
crew  had  turned  in. 

Presently  Lewis  came  back  aft.  ‘‘  I 
think  there’s  a buffalo  up  the  bluff,”  he 
said. 

Moses  laughed.  Captain  Royce,  busy 
with  his  adz,  paid  little  attention  ; buffalo 
were  still  to  be  found  on  the  prairies  along 
the  river. 

Lewis  stood  near  them  for  a few 
moments,  then  went  forward  again.  The 
ark  chafed  against  the  tree  branches  with 
harsh,  creaking  sounds ; frogs  were  croak- 
ing, and  from  the  island,  at  intervals,  came 
a singular  noise,  as  of  some  large  horn 
blown  with  great  effort.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  reports  of  guns  and  loud  yells ; 
but  whether  the  savages  over  there  were 
189 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


celebrating  some  festival,  or  fighting,  was 
not  clear. 

Captain  Royce  went  on  with  his  work. 
Before  long,  however,  Lewis  joined  them 
again.  ‘^There’s  something  up  the  bluff,” 
he  insisted. 

‘‘How  d’ye  know?”  said  Moses.  “You 
can’t  see  it,  can  you?” 

“ But  I can  hear  it,”  replied  Lewis, 
nervously.  “ A stone  or  something  rolled 
down  just  now.” 

“ Stones  and  earth  often  roll  down  when 
the  water  is  high,”  remarked  Captain 
Royce. 

“ But  I tell  you  there’s  something  up 
there  ! ” repeated  Lewis. 

“Oh,  Lew’s  scared,”  said  Moses. 

“No  more  scared  than  you!”  retorted 
Lewis.  “ If  it’s  a buffalo.  I’m  going  to 
shoot  it.” 

“Don’t  you  go  to  firing,  Lewis,”  Marion 
said.  “ Let  the  buffalo  go.  And  you  had 
190 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


better  get  up  on  the  roof  again,”  he  con- 
tinued. “ I want  you  to  keep  a sharp  eye 
up-stream  for  boats  or  floating  trees.  Don’t 
come  down  here  again  till  I send  a man  to 
take  your  place.” 

Thus  admonished,  Lewis  climbed  on  the 
roof  once  more  and  remained  there  for  an 
hour  or  so,  when  Moses,  his  task  of  holding 
the  lantern  being  over,  went  up  to  see  if 
anything  new  had  happened. 

Of  late  the  two  boys  had  wrangled 
somewhat ; ever  since  Moses  had  shot  the 
gobbler  ” he  affected  a certain  superiority 
over  Lewis,  although  he  was  not  as  old  as 
the  latter  by  a year.  Lewis  resented  this. 

‘‘I  know  what  you  came  up  here  for,” 
Lewis  said,  shortly.  “You  think  you  will 
have  that  bear ! ” 

“Well,  what  if  I do?”  exclaimed 
Moses.  “You  claimed  Tige.” 

“ Tige  is  only  a dog,”  replied  Lewis. 
“ He  will  not  fetch  anything,  but  we  can 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


swap  that  bear  for  a silver-mounted  rifle  at 
New  Orleans.’’ 

And  I shall  have  it ! ” insisted  Moses. 
“ You  were  all  so  fast  to  claim  Tige.  Now, 
I claim  the  bear.” 

“You  never  want  to  play  fair  in  any- 
thing ! ” exclaimed  Lewis.” 

“And  you  are  always  whining  when  any- 
body gets  even  with  you ! ” Moses  retorted. 

What  further  plain  truths  the  boys 
might  have  told  each  other  is  not  certain ; 
but,  at  this  juncture,  both  were  startled  by  a 
pebble  that  came  bouncing  down  the  bluff 
and  hopped  clear  across  to  the  roof  of  the 
ark,  thence  off  into  the  river. 

“ Now,  what  do  you  think  did  that?” 
whispered  Lewis,  gripping  his  rifle  and 
peering  sharply  into  the  night  mists  that 
enveloped  both  river  and  bluffs. 

“Oh,  ’twas  just  a little  slide  of  loose 
earth  that  came  down,  and  the  stone  hap- 
pened to  hop  across  here,”  said  Moses. 

192 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


‘‘  But  that’ s just  the  way  it  did  twice 
before,”  whispered  Lewis.  ‘‘  I tell  you, 
Mose,  there’s  something  up  there.  I be- 
lieve I can  see  something,  too,  up  there 
against  the  sky,  ’mongst  the  tree  trunks,” 
he  added.  “ I’ve  a good  notion  to  fire  at  it.” 

‘‘  Mack  told  you  not  to,”  said  Moses. 

‘‘Well,  then,  you  go  get  Tige  and  put 
him  up  here,  and  get  the  lantern,”  rejoined 
Lewis,  after  they  had  listened  a while. 
“ Let’s  tie  the  lantern  to  the  end  of  one  of 
these  long,  new  setting-poles,  and  hoist  it 
up  high.  Maybe  we  can  see  then  what’s 
up  there!” 

This  idea  pleased  Moses.  He  swung 
down  from  the  roof,  put  Tige  up,  and  get- 
ting the  lantern,  proceeded  to  light  the 
candle,  after  the  tedious  method  of  those 
days.  Passing  his  arm  through  the  big 
wooden  ring,  he  was  about  to  climb  up  to 
the  roof  when  a deep  rumble  was  heard, 
like  low,  heavy  thunder. 

m 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


The  ark  started  violently,  then  seemed 
to  receive  a tremendous  impulse,  as  if 
pushed  off  by  a giant  hand  from  the  bank. 
It  careened  far  over.  Every  timber  cracked. 
The  live  stock  lurched  and  leaped  back, 
tugging  at  their  halters.  Then  the  heavy 
craft  appeared  to  rise,  like  a ship  on  a great 
wave  at  sea.  Momentarily,  too,  a sharp 
crash  was  heard,  accompanied  by  a shock 
as  from  a sudden  blow.  The  whole  for- 
ward end  of  the  roof  broke  down,  and 
distressed  squeals  rose  from  the  horses. 

Moses  Ayer,  who  was  on  the  rail  in  the 
act  of  climbing  up,  was  pitched  headlong 
into  the  river.  As  he  rose  he  felt  the  side 
of  the  ark  come  hard  against  him,  and  a 
loose  plank  from  the  roof  slid  down  close 
beside  his  head.  He  caught  hold  of  it  and 
held  on,  floating  with  the  current. 

Captain  Royce  and  Shadwell  Lincoln, 
who  were  still  awake  in  the  gun-room, 
sprang  forth  at  the  first  rumble,  but  were 


194 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


thrown  down  by  the  violent  lurch  that  fol- 
lowed it.  Shouts  of  terror  were  heard  from 
those  who  had  been  asleep. 

No  one  knew  what  had  happened;  but, 
hearing  the  crash  forward.  Captain  Royce 
made  his  way  there  as  fast  as  he  could,  and 
tried  to  learn  the  extent  of  the  damage. 
The  ark  was  rocking  heavily,  and  immedi- 
ately her  young  captain  perceived  that 
they  had  broken  adrift  and  were  floating 
down-stream.  Shouting  to  Hoyt  and  Lin- 
coln, he  bade  them  man  the  after-sweep 
with  all  speed  and  try  to  keep  clear  of  the 
bank;  for  the  craft  was  going  broadside  to 
the  current. 

It  was  not  till  the  men  tried  to  work 
the  sweep  that  they  discovered  a long  tree 
trunk  lying  afoul  of  them  forward — across 
the  broken  roof.  Apparently,  it  had  fallen 
on  them  from  up  the  bluff;  yet  they  did 
not  appear  to  be  leaking. 

Distressed  cries  of  “ Hallo,  the  ark ! ’’ 
195 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


were  now  heard  astern ; and  the  captain  at 
once  began  calling  the  crew  by  name,  to 
see  if  any  one  were  missing.  All  answered 
except  Moses  and  Lewis.  It  was  then 
remembered  that  Lewis  had  been  on  look- 
out duty  upon  the  roof. 

‘‘  That’s  Mose  back  there  in  the  water ! ” 
Wistar  Royce  exclaimed.  ‘‘  I know  by 
the  voice.” 

‘‘Get  out  the  skiff!”  exclaimed  the 
captain,  and  all  haste  was  made  to  do  so  ; 
for,  by  Captain  Royce’s  orders,  the  skiff  was 
was  now  hauled  aboard  every  night. 

Wistar,  meanwhile,  was  answering 
Moses’  shouts,  calling  out  to  him  to  keep 
afloat,  if  he  could,  till  they  got  to  him. 
Claiborne  and  Lincoln  immediately  put 
out,  rowing  back  against  the  stream,  and 
found  the  boy  floating  with  both  arms 
clasped  about  the  plank.  He  was  wet  and 
cold,  but  otherwise  uninjured. 

“ But  where  is  Lewis  ? Do  you  know 
196 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


anything  about  Lewis?’’  were  Marion 
Royce’s  first  questions  when  they  had 
Moses  aboard. 

Moses  could  tell  them  little,  however, 
except  that  Lewis  had  been  on  the  roof, 
and  that  he  thought  he  had  heard  him 
shout,  ‘‘You  red  scamp,  you!”  when  the 
landslide  occurred,  for  such  they  now  con- 
cluded had  been  the  cause  of  the  accident. 
The  side  of  the  bluff,  and  with  it  a number 
of  trees,  had  slid  down  into  the  river. 

Such  subsidences  of  the  banks  are  of 
common  occurrence  in  time  of  flood  on  the 
Mississippi,  owing  to  the  undermining 
action  of  the  powerful  current.  Tracts, 
many  acres  in  extent,  with  the  forest  grow- 
ing thereon,  are  suddenly  submerged. 

They  succeeded  in  cutting  away  the  tree 
that  fouled  them,  and  then  they  moored 
the  ark  against  a willow  bank  three  or  four 
miles  below.  Lewis’  disappearance  had 
filled  the  young  captain  with  the  gravest 
197 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

solicitude.  It  was  feared  that  the  tree  had 
struck  and  crushed  him.  It  was  now 
noticed,  too,  that  Tige  was  not  aboard  the 
ark ; and  Moses  remembered  about  hoisting 
the  dog  to  the  roof  a few  moments  before 
the  landslide  occurred. 

‘‘  That  tree  knocked  them  both  over- 
board,” said  Charlie  Hoyt,  with  conviction, 
and  all  were  inclined  to  agree  with  him. 

Captain  Royce  would  not  go  on,  how- 
ever, till  careful  search  had  been  made,  and 
as  soon  as  day  dawned  he  and  Wistar,  with 
Charlie  Hoyt  and  Lincoln,  took  the  skiff 
and  pulled  back  up-stream  to  the  bluff 
whence  they  had  been  so  roughly  cast  adrift. 

No  trace  of  the  missing  boy  was  here  dis- 
covered, however ; they  landed,  and  climb- 
ing up  the  bank,  saw  where  the  entire  side 
of  it  had  collapsed,  and  a dozen  or  more  large 
cotton-wood  trees  had  slid  down.  It  was 
one  of  the  latter  that  had  fallen  aboard  the 
ark. 


198 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


The  search  alongshore,  both  above  and 
below,  was  continued  for  an  hour  or  more, 
and  they  shouted  repeatedly,  but  obtained 
no  response.  The  conclusion  forced  on 
the  minds  of  all  was  that  the  boy  had  been 
knocked  overboard  when  the  roof  broke 
down,  and  had  been  swept  away  by  the 
rapid  current  and  drowned. 

On  returning  to  the  ark.  Captain  Royce 
found  that  three  or  four  hours’  work  would 
have  to  be  done  before  going  on.  Two 
horses  were  so  badly  crushed  that  it  became 
necessary  to  kill  them.  A third  was  slightly 
injured,  and  was  put  in  slings.  To  some 
extent,  too,  the  roof  was  patched  up;  but 
when  all  was  done,  the  old  craft  bore  visible 
evidence  of  rough  usage. 

It  was  not  till  past  noon  that  they  got 
off  from  the  willow  bank  and  resumed  the 
voyage — with  heavy  hearts. 

By  four  o’clock  that  afternoon  another 
high  bluff  came  into  view  down  the  river — 
199 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


the  third  of  that  picturesque  series  known 
to  boatmen  as  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs. 

And  this  was  ever  afterward  memorable 
to  our  arksmen.  As  they  drifted  down 
near  it  shouts  were  heard  from  the  woods 
crowning  the  river -front.  The  barking  of 
a dog  also  came  to  their  ears.  Two  men 
could  be  seen  high  up  the  bluff,  and  one  of 
them  was  swinging  his  arms  as  if  making 
signals. 

“ I believe  that’s  Lewis ! ” Moses 
shouted,  in  great  excitement.  “ Lewis  and 
Tige  ! ” 

‘‘But  that  other  looks  like  an  Indian!” 
exclaimed  Wistar. 

They  scarcely  knew  what  to  think  of  it 
at  first,  but  as  the  ark  floated  past  they  made 
sure  that  it  was  Lewis ; and  Captain  Royce 
at  once  ordered  the  men  at  the  sweeps  to 
veer  inshore.  So  swift  was  the  current, 
however,  that  the  ark  floated  on  for  a mile 
or  more  before  a landing  could  be  effected. 


200 


THE  LANDSLIDE 


But  they  had  no  more  than  carried  a 
line  ashore  to  some  willows,  growing  on  a 
low  point,  when  Tige,  barking  joyously, 
burst  through  the  cane  thickets,  and  was 
followed  a moment  later  by  Lewis  himself. 
And  with  him — to  the  astonishment  of  the 
arksmen — was  a brawny  Indian,  decked  out 
after  the  manner  of  a Chickasaw  chief,  but 
grinning  broadly  and  holding  up  his  right 
hand  in  token  of  a peaceful  intent. 


201 


CHAPTER  X 


SAM  HOKOMOKE  ” 

rO\J  needn’t  be  scared ! ” 
Lewis  exclaimed,  for  Moses 
was  getting  his  rifle.  ‘‘  He’s 
somebody  you  know.  Guess 
who  he  is  ! Guess ! Guess ! 
Hurry  and  guess — only  you’ll 
never  guess ! And  he  got  me 
out  of  the  river  ! ” 

The  captain  and  Lincoln  stared  with  all 
their  eyes,  as  Lewis  and  his  big  rescuer 
came  aboard,  the  Indian  grinning  broadly 
and  offering  to  shake  hands. 

“Me  come  see  my  son,”  he  announced 
in  good,  but  halting,  English.  “ Me  James 
Claiborne  one  time.  Now  me  Sam  Hoko- 
moke.” 

“ He’s  a chief,”  added  Lewis,  excitedly. 
“A  Chickasaw  chief.” 


202 


ii 


GUESS  WHO  HE  IS 


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«SAM  HOKOMOKE” 


"James  Claiborne  ! ” ejaculated  Marion. 

He  was  incapable  of  another  word.  He 
simply  stood  and  stared. 

“Jimmy!  ” shouted  Moses,  dashing  past 
into  the  cabin,  “ Jimmy  1 Here's  your  pa  ! " 

Marion  had  mechanically  reached  out 
and  grasped  the  Indian's  hand  and  was 
bewilderingly  shaking  it.  As  soon  as  he 
recovered  himself  a little,  he  released  it 
and  allowed  Lincoln  to  follow  his  ex- 
ample. 

Lincoln  spoke  with  much  gravity. 
“You  don’t  say,”  he  drawled.  “No 
wonder  his  robber  friends  told  Jimmy  that 
his  pa  would  know  him  by  the  resemblance, 
when  they  fixed  him  up.” 

James  Claiborne,  or  Sam  Hokomoke, 
drew  himself  up  slightly,  and  the  smile 
died  out  of  his  face  at  this  reference  to  his 
having  robber  friends. 

“ Now  you’ve  offended  him  ! ” said 
Lewis,  angrily.  “ I tell  you  he’s  a big 
203 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


chief  in  his  tribe,  though  he  isn’t  dressed 
in  his  war  togs.” 

Oh,”  murmured  Lincoln ; ‘‘just  a 
social  call.  Well,  we’re  mighty  glad  to 
see  you,  Sam  Hokomoke,  or  James  Clai- 
borne, whichever  name  you  like  the  best, 
and  we  know  Jimmy  will  be.” 

“We  are  very  glad  to  have  you  here,” 
said  Marion,  rousing  from  his  stupefaction 
to  his  responsibilities  as  captain.  It  was 
almost  impossible  for  him,  any  more  than 
for  Shadwell  Lincoln,  to  accept  him  as  a 
white  man,  like  themselves.  He  had  lost 
all  resemblance  to  a white  man  at  first 
glance.  He  was  the  color  of  seasoned 
leather,  and  the  fact  that  he  had  fallen  into 
the  Indian  ways  of  speech  in  his  seldom 
practised  English,  made  it  seem  as  if  he 
could  not  possibly  understand  everything 
they  said  as  easily  as  they  understood  one 
another. 

“ We  have  missed  you,”  continued 
204 


“SAM  HOKOMOKE” 


Marion,  realizing  that  this  was  an  absurd 
way  to  state  the  case,  but  unable  for  the 
life  of  him  to  think  of  a better  one. 

James  Claiborne  grinned  again.  He 
had  said  more  already  than  he  was 
accustomed  to,  and  apparently  Marion’s 
statement  did  not  strike  him  as  being  in 
need  of  any  verbal  acknowledgment. 

“Here’s  Jimmy!”  shouted  Moses, 
dashing  out  of  the  cabin  in  front  of  him, 
like  a herald  before  a royal  pageant. 
“Jimmy,  here’s  your  pa! — Ain’t  it  the 
greatest  thing  you  ever  set  your  eyes  on?” 
he  whispered  to  Lincoln,  as  he  squeezed 
close  in  to  the  quickly  thickening  group. 
“ Think  how  Jimmy  set  out  to  find  him, 
and  the  dangers  he  went  through,  and  the 
suffering,  and  to  have  his  pa  just  come 
strolling  aboard — and  a regular  Indian 
chief!  ” 

“I  guess  / had  some  hand  in  it,”  said 
Lewis,  darting  a scornful  look  at  Mose. 

205 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


“H’m  ! Might  have  knowed  you’d  be 
grumbling  because  you  ain’t  the  whole 
show,”  retorted  the  ever-ready  Mose. 

Considered  as  a consummation,  such  as 
Moses  described  it,  the  meeting  between 
Jimmy  Claiborne  and  his  father  left  a good 
deal  to  the  imagination.  Jimmy  had  ad- 
vanced forward,  thrust  from  behind,  forcibly, 
rather  than  moved  by  an  impelling  filial 
emotion.  Within  arm’s  length  of  the  big 
Indian  he  came  to  a dead  halt.  The 
pressure  from  behind  had  withdrawn  itself, 
leaving  him  rooted  to  the  deck.  He  was 
face  to  face  with  his  father,  but  it  took  a 
shrewd  physiognomist  to  discover  it.  James 
Claiborne  Hokomoke,  on  his  side,  made  no 
advance.  The  traditions  of  fifteen  years 
among  the  Indians  may  have  made  the 
American  observances  strike  him  as  inade- 
quate to  the  occasion.  Perhaps  he  would 
have  preferred  to  hold  some  sort  of  council, 
and  sit  in  a circle  for  hours,  before  a word 
206 


SAM  HOKOMOKE’’ 


was  spoken  on  either  hand.  The  arksmen 
grew  fidgety.  Jimmy  grew  red.  Some 
intuition  of  this  embarrassment  evidently 
stirred  the  white  man’s  brain  in  Hokomoke, 
bringing  with  it  a train  of  more  or  less 
faded  and  obliterated  memories. 

‘‘  You  my  son  ? ” he  asked. 

Jimmy  hesitated.  ‘‘  I reckon  I am,”  he 
answered,  deprecatingly.  He  did  not  mean 
to  appear  doubtful,  but  he  was  embarrassed. 
A more  positive  answer  would  have  seemed 
to  him  pushing — like  attracting  attention 
to  himself.  His  eyes  strayed  imploringly 
to  Marion,  but  the  young  captain  had 
stepped  back  to  give  him  the  entire  floor. 

Humph  ! Ugly  ! ” was  his  father’s 
comment. 

There  was  a moment  of  astonishment 
at  this  unexpected  sally.  With  his  long 
scalp  and  forelock  and  the  rest  of  his  hair 
in  half  grown  tufts,  and  the  paint  only 
partly  worn  off  his  face,  Jimmy’s  appear- 
207 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


ance  certainly  was  not  such  as  to  make  a 
parent  proud.  A great  laugh  went  up  from 
the  men,  in  which  Sam  Hokomoke  joined 
as  heartily  as  any  one,  and  with  that  laugh 
the  atmosphere  of  constraint  cleared,  and 
Jimmy  felt  at  ease. 

The  white  man,  who  had  so  unaccount- 
ably turned  his  back  on  his  family  and 
disappeared  for  so  many  years,  was  almost 
indifferent  to  the  news  they  poured  into 
his  ears  about  Fish  Creek  and  its  people. 
He  asked  no  questions,  but  he  listened  with 
some  show  of  interest  to  the  things  they 
told  him  of  his  father,  and  Maria,  his  wife. 
He  accepted  the  hospitality  which  Marion 
extended  him,  but  expressed  no  enthusiasm 
when  it  was  proposed  that  he  should  return 
with  them  to  Fish  Creek  in  the  autumn. 
He  made  no  further  explanation  of  his  reluc- 
tance than  might  be  gathered  from  the  simple 
comment,  ‘‘  Squaw  good,”  and  he  had  no 
messages  for  Maria,  although  to  his  father 
208 


‘‘SAM  HOKOMOKE’* 


he  sent  several  long  speeches,  beautiful  with 
Indian  symbolism  and  sentiment. 

“ But  how  on  earth  did  you  meet  each 
other,  and  where  in  the  world  have  you 
been  ? asked  Marion  of  Lewis,  when  they 
were  floating  down  the  river  again,  and  a 
reserved  relationship  had  established  itself 
between  Jimmy  and  his  father. 

“ Been  chasing  along  the  bank,”  replied 
the  boy.  “ I ran  by  you  last  night.  Didn’t 
you  stop  somewhere?” 

“ We  stopped  and  went  back  to  look 
for  you,”  replied  Captain  Royce. 

“ That  was  when  I went  by  you,  and 
didn’t  know  it ! ” exclaimed  Lewis.  “Then 
after  we  had  run  a long  way,  Sam  Hoko- 
moke  climbed  up  that  high  bluff  and  saw 
ye  cornin’  down-stream.  And  I tell  ye  I 
was  glad  ! ” 

“ But  how  came  you  ashore  in  the  first 
place  ? ” exclaimed  Moses.  “ Did  you  jump 
ashore  when  the  tree  fell  on  us  ? ” 


209 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


“No,  I didn’t!’’  replied  Lewis,  shortly. 
“ I didn’t  have  a chance.  I went  head 
foremost  into  the  river  ! But  that  wasn’t 
the  first  of  it,”  Lewis  added.  “ The  whole 
bluff  slid  down  to  begin  with,  and  Sam 
Hokomoke  with  it. 

“ Didn’t  I tell  ye  that  there  was  some- 
one up  there?”  Lewis  interrupted  himself 
to  say  to  Moses.  “ Didn’t  I say  so  ?” 

“You  said  you  believed  there  was  a 
buffalo  up  there,”  Moses  admitted. 

“I  said  ‘something’  was  up  there,” 
insisted  Lewis.  “ Well,  ’twas  Hokomoke  ” 
— somehow  it  seemed  impossible  to  call 
him  by  the  name  of  Claiborne.  “He  tossed 
them  little  stones  down  to  attract  our  atten- 
tion, just  for  fun,  but  when  the  bank  caved 
in  he  was  as  surprised  as  anybody,  I guess, 
for  down  he  came  with  it,  head  first ; but 
he  gave  a mighty  jump,  and  landed  on  the 
ark  roof,  within  three  feet  of  me.  I 
thought  he  was  going  to  scalp  me,  and  I 


210 


‘‘SAM  HOKOMOKE’* 

clinched  him — for  there  was  no  chance  to 
get  up  my  gun.” 

“Was  that  when  you  said,  ‘You  red 
scamp,  you  ? ’ ” exclaimed  Moses. 

“Maybe,”  replied  Lewis.  “I  don’t 
know  what  I said.  I thought  he  meant 
me,  and  I clinched,  and  Tige  jumped  for 
him,  too.  But  just  then  something  struck 
us.  D’ye  say  ’twas  a tree  ? The  whole 
roof  went  smash,  and  Tige  and  me  and 
Hokomoke  went  heels  over  head  into  the 
river. 

“ I guess  I’d  ’a  been  drowned  sure,” 
Lewis  continued,  more  soberly.  “I  went 
down,  down,  down,  and  swallowed  con- 
siderable water.  I thought  I never’d  come 
up ; but  when  I did,  he  had  me  by  the 
hair,  and  was  makin’  for  the  bank  with 
me.  He  got  out  and  pulled  me  out.  I 
thought  he  had  only  hauled  me  out  to  get 
my  scalp,  and  I tried  to  break  away  from 
him.  But  he  began  to  say,  ‘ Me  no  kill ! 


211 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Me  no  kill ! Me  white  man/  Tige,  too, 
never  once  offered  to  bite  him  after  we  got 
ashore. 

‘‘As  soon  as  I found  I hadn’t  got  to 
fight,  I began  to  look  for  the  ark,”  Lewis 
went  on,  “ but  it  had  gone.  I hallooed 
four  or  five  times,  but  couldn’t  hear  any- 
thing of  you,  though  I heard  somebody, 
whose  voice  sounded  like  Mose’s,  away 
down  the  river.  We  sat  and  rested  a while, 
and  then  Hokomoke  gave  me  a pull  by  the 
arm,  and  said,  ‘ Me  go  catch  white  man’s 
boat.’  And  we  started  after  you  through 
the  swamps  and  cane — an  awful  place  to  get 
through  in  the  night.  I don’t  believe  I 
would  ever  got  down  here  if  it  hadn’t  been 
for  him.  I told  him  about  us,  and  then  he 
told  me  who  he  was.  That’s  all.” 

In  spite  of  their  efforts  to  keep  him 
longer,  Sam  Hokomoke  took  leave  of  the 
arksmen  the  next  day  at  a camp  of  his  tribe 
near  the  fourth  Chickasaw  bluff. 


212 


‘‘SAM  HOKOMOKE*^ 


“ It’s  cert’n’y  curious,”  said  Jimmy,  as 
they  watched  him  disappear,  waving  his 
hand  and  grinning  back  at  them,  “ to  think 
I have  a father  who  is  a full-fledged  Indian 
chief,  and  that  I have  an  invitation  from 
him  to  visit  him  or  call  upon  him  for 
assistance  whenever  I please.” 

“ The  strangest  part  of  it  is  that  the 
Spaniards  have  treaties  with  them  against 
us  Americans,  and  that  they’re  our  worst 
enemies,”  said  Marion. 

No  adventure  worthy  of  note  now  befell 
them  for  a number  of  days.  They  passed 
the  mouth  of  the  St.  Francis  River  and 
many  natural  meadows,  or  prairies,  at 
several  of  which  settlers’  cabins  had  recently 
been  built.  Here  they  were  sometimes 
able  to  exchange  corn  and  wheat  for  eggs, 
poultry,  bear  meat  and  venison. 

In  two  days  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas 
River  was  passed.  At  the  new  settlement 
of  Palmyra  they  tied  up  for  a day  and  a 
213 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


half,  in  order  to  obtain  larger  sweeps  and  to 
mend  the  roof  of  the  ark.  The  next  day 
the  Grand  Gulf  Hills  came  in  view,  and 
during  the  afternoon  both  Captain  Royce 
and  Shadwell  Lincoln  found  that  all  their 
skill  and  experience  barely  sufficed  to  keep 
their  heavily-laden  craft  out  of  Grand  Gulf 
Eddy.  For  here  the  channel  narrows,  and 
has  a vast  whirlpool  on  each  hand. 

It  was  now  the  latter  part  of  June,  and 
despite  many  perils  and  accidents,  the  ark 
was  getting  well  toward  its  destination. 
But  the  night  after  they  had  passed  Grand 
Gulf  proved  one  of  the  most  exciting  of 
the  voyage.  No  favorable  place  for  tying 
up  to  the  bank  had  presented  itself  that 
afternoon,  but  as  twilight  came  on  they 
veered  into  a small  bayou,  which  opened 
into  the  forest  on  the  eastern,  or  Mississippi, 
shore. 

Such  creek  mouths  were  far  from  being 
ideal  stopping-places  on  account  of  mos- 
214 


SAM  HOKOMOKE 


quitoes,  which,  at  this  season,  tortured  man 
and  beast  almost  beyond  endurance.  The 
day  had  been  very  warm,  and  despite  the 
best  that  could  be  done  for  their  comfort, 
the  live  stock  on  the  ark  suffered  exceed- 
ingly. 

Only  ten  of  the  crew  mustered  at  mess 
that  night.  Corson  had  not  yet  recovered; 
Clark  MacAfee  still  complained  of  his  inju- 
ries, and  Obed  Hargous  and  Wistar  Royce 
were  also  ill  from  the  effects  of  bad  water. 

It  was  a dismal  place,  this  narrow 
bayou,  overhung  with  lofty  trees,  and  the 
gray,  trailing  mosses,  which  brushed  the 
roof  of  the  ark.  Around,  on  every  hand, 
thousands  of  frogs  were  croaking,  while 
here  and  there  water-moccasins  lay  stretched 
along  dead  cypress  limbs  that  had  fallen  on 
the  stagnant  waters.  One  was  found  on  the 
roof  of  the  ark  as  the  crew  were  tying  up. 

Moses  and  Lewis  made  short  work  of 
this  intruder,  and  set  lanterns  forward  and 
215 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

aft,  the  better  to  see  if  more  snakes  crept 
aboard. 

While  eating  supper  tney  could  hear 
the  bellowing  of  alligators,  which  began 
immediately  after  dark.  The  bayou  ap- 
peared to  be  a haunt  of  these  formidable 
reptiles.  Alligators,  indeed,  seem  to  have 
been  far  more  numerous,  as  well  as  larger, 
a century  ago  than  at  present.  We  now 
rarely  hear  of  one  being  seen  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Red  River  ; but  in  early  days 
they  were  found  as  far  north  as  New 
Madrid  and  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  If 
we  may  believe  the  accounts  given  by  boat- 
men, an  alligator  twenty  feet  in  length 
was  not  an  unusually  large  reptile  in  the 
days  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase. 

Meanwhile  the  horses,  frightened  prob- 
ably by  the  sound,  were  snorting  loudly.  It 
became  evident  that  the  reptiles  smelled  the 
live  stock.  It  was  not  believed  at  first  that 
they  could  clamber  aboard  ; but  fears  of 
216 


SAM  HOKOMOKE’’ 


this  soon  arose,  for  one  of  the  big  reptiles, 
having  apparently  climbed  out  on  a fallen 
magnolia,  dashed  for  the  side  of  the  ark, 
forward,  where  he  struck  his  head  so  hard 
as  to  cause  a considerable  shock  to  the 
boat.  This  raised  a great  commotion 
among  the  horses.  The  claws,  or  flip- 
pers, of  other  alligators  could  be  heard 
constantly  scratching  the  sides,  and  at 
length  the  big  fellow  came  tumbling  over  the 
rail  at  the  very  heels  of  the  horses. 

The  uproar  that  followed  can  be  im- 
agined ; the  men  shouting,  the  horses 
kicking  and  squealing,  Tige  barking,  and 
the  pet  bear  growling  in  a savage  chorus. 

As  if  terrorized  into  abnormal  activity, 
this  alligator  lashed  right  and  left  with  his 
formidable  tail,  and  snapped  savagely  at  the 
legs  of  the  horses  and  at  the  pike-poles 
with  which  the  crew  attacked  it. 

One  of  the  horses  kicked  the  reptile 
and  it  scuttled  back  against  the  bulwarks. 


217 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


rattled,  dashed  headlong  past  the  gun-room, 
and  jammed  itself  between  a post  there  and 
the  rail.  Here  it  stuck  fast,  and  Captain 
Royce,  who  had  run  to  get  a rifle, 
approached  and  fired  the  piece  into  the 
reptile’s  gaping  throat. 

No  more  of  the  saurians  got  on  board, 
or  the  voyage  might  have  ended  then  and 
there;  but  it  was  not  till  day  dawned  that 
the  scaly  creatures  began  to  sink,  and  swim 
away  to  their  coverts. 

At  sunrise  they  poled  out  of  the  bayou, 
and  were  glad  to  feel  the  ark  floating  with 
the  river  again.  But  adventures  and  acci- 
dents, as  has  been  often  noted,  rarely  come 
singly.  The  current  bore  them  over  to- 
ward the  Spanish,  or  Louisiana  shore,  and 
as  the  ark  drifted  past  a bank  of  thick 
willows,  it  was  suddenly  drawn  into  the 
rapid  outset  of  water  through  a crevasse. 

As  is  frequently  the  case  along  the 
lower  course  of  the  Mississippi,  the  surface 


‘‘SAM  HOKOMOKE** 

of  the  river  current  is  here  higher  than 
the  swamps  lying  adjacent  to  the  banks, 
inundating  the  surrounding  country,  and 
either  finding  its  way  back  to  the  main 
stream,  hundreds  of  miles  below,  or  else,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  Atchafalaya  Bayou,  reach- 
ing the  Gulf  of  Mexico  by  other  channels. 

So  vast  is  the  quantity  of  alluvial  mud 
brought  down  by  this  mighty  stream  that 
the  river  constantly  exhibits  a tendency  to 
deposit  and  raise  banks  for  itself  above  the 
level  of  the  low  country  through  which  it 
flows.  From  the  nature  of  things,  how- 
ever, these  banks  cannot  go  on  increasing 
in  height  beyond  a certain  well-marked 
limit. 

Charlie  Hoyt  and  Wistar  Royce  were 
standing  by  the  long  sweep,  or  steering  oar, 
at  the  time,  and  Lewis  Hoyt  had  just  gone 
forward  on  lookout  duty.  As  they  floated 
past  the  willow  bank  a skiff  with  four 
rowers,  farther  out  on  the  river,  came  up 
219 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

and  hailed  them.  Lewis  turned  to  answer 
and  asked,  ‘‘What  news  of  the  Spaniards?’’ 

As  he  listened  for  their  reply  he  felt  the 
bow  of  the  ark  swing  shoreward,  and 
glanced  back  at  the  steersmen.  But  Wistar 
and  Charlie  were  staring  at  him.  He  then 
saw  the  gap  in  the  bank  and  the  water 
surging  through  it — a gap  no  more  than 
fifty  feet  wide ; but,  before  he  could  even 
shout  to  the  steersmen,  the  ark  had  headed 
into  it  and  was  sucked  through. 

For  a hundred  yards  or  more  the  tor- 
rent ran  with  great  force,  then  spread  itself 
over  a submerged  swamp  of  cane,  willow, 
and  other  small  growth,  amid  the  tops  of 
which  the  heavy  craft  went  crashing  its 
way  for  fully  a quarter  of  a mile  before  the 
arksmen  could  check  it. 

It  came  to  rest,  finally,  on  a ridge 
thickly  timbered  with  magnolia  and  live- 
oak  trees,  in  the  midst  of  which  was  a 
dense  tangle  of  young  bays  and  myrtle 


220 


SAM  HOKOMOKE^* 


bushes  and  trumpet  vines.  Wedged  securely 
between  a live  oak,  whose  great  branches 
swept  the  after- deck,  and  a tall  magnolia  at 
the  bow,  like  a pile  at  the  end  of  a pier, 
the  ark  was  as  securely  docked  as  if  it  had 
reached  the  end  of  its  travels. 

It  had  all  happened  so  suddenly  that 
when  Captain  Royce  came  out  of  the  cook’s 
galley,  he  was  amazed  to  find  the  ark  in  a 
hammock  a quarter  of  a mile  back  of  the 
river. 

‘‘Well,  Lewis,”  drawled  Shadwell  Lin- 
coln, “ you’re  a boss  pilot.  Reckon  our 
voyage  ends  here.  Looks  as  if  we’d  have 
to  foot  it  the  rest  of  the  way.” 

Charlie  Hoyt,  Wistar  Royce  and  Lewis 
Hoyt  stood  staring  at  the  disaster  that  their 
negligence  had  wrought. 

“ Oh,  shut  up,  can’t  you  ? ” said  Moses. 
“ This  ain’t  any  time  for  sarcasm.  I guess 
Lewis  did’t  come  in  here  on  a pleasure 
junket.” 


221 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Lewis,  surprised  at  having  Moses  siding 
with  him,  cast  a grateful  look  at  him. 
The  extreme  gravity  of  the  situation,  how- 
ever, was  fully  apparent  to  all.  How  to 
get  so  heavy  a craft  back  into  the  river  was 
a difficult  problem.  Once  off  the  hammock, 
all  hands,  working  together,  might  pole  the 
ark  back  to  the  gap  ; but  the  strength  of  a 
hundred  men  would  hardly  have  sufficed  to 
force  it  against  the  torrent  that  poured 
through  the  gap  in  the  bank. 

MacAfee,  who  had  made  several  voyages, 
thought  that  in  four  weeks  the  river  would 
fall,  and  that  perhaps  by  that  time  they 
might  be  able  to  haul  back  into  the  Miss- 
issippi. But  Merrick  and  Kenton,  and 
Obed  Hargous,  boatmen  of  experience, 
thought  this  unlikely. 

‘‘When  we  warp  her  out  of  this  timber,” 
said  Marion,  “ she  will  be  strained  and 
sprung  so  that  we  can't  keep  her  afloat. 
Probably,  we'll  have  to  unload  and  take  her 


222 


“SAM  HOKOMOKE” 

to  pieces,  and  put  her  together  again  on 
the  river/’ 

“ That  will  take  months,”  said  Moses. 

“ One  thing,”  said  Lewis.  “The  men 
in  the  skiff  told  me  that  the  Spaniards  have 
closed  New  Orleans.  We  couldn’t  land 
our  goods,  even  if  we  got  there.  There’s 
going  to  be  a fight.  The  rivermen  are 
drilling  at  Natchez,  and  troops  are  coming 
down  from  Kentucky  and  everywhere.” 

“ Is  that  true  ?”  asked  Marion. 

“ I expect  so,”  said  Lewis.  “ I don’t 
see  why  they  should  make  it  up,  do  you?” 

“ I’ll  take  a skiff  and  go  find  out  how 
things  stand,”  said  Marion.  His  confidence 
for  a moment  had  deserted  him.  He  felt 
obliged  to  get  away  from  the  men  who 
were  looking  to  him  to  be  told  what  to  do 
next.  The  heavy  shock  of  having  their 
trip  brought  to  so  hopeless  a termination 
almost  unnerved  him.  He  had  hoped  so 
much  from  this  year’s  voyage. 

223 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


He  launched  his  skiff  at  the  edge  of  the 
hammock,  Kenton  and  Moses  shoving  him 
off,  and  rowed  away  across  the  flooded  savan- 
nah to  the  river  bank. 

When  he  returned,  he  confirmed  all 
that  the  men  in  the  skiff  had  told  Lewis. 
There  was  at  present  no  outlet  for  the  car- 
goes that  were  collecting  below  Natchez. 
The  rivermen  were  preparing  to  fight.  As 
to  the  ark,  he  had  talked  to  a number  of 
barge  captains,  and  they  had  suggested  a 
project  for  getting  the  boat  back  into  the 
river,  when  it  should  have  been  warped  off 
the  hammock. 

A week  was  spent  in  taking  off  the 
horses,  for  whom  a rude  shelter  was  built 
from  the  cabin  timbers  of  the  ark.  Some 
of  the  cargo  was  also  unloaded.  For 
another  week  part  of  the  crew  were  busy 
in  making  harness  from  lines  and  hawsers, 
which  they  had  on  board  for  moorings  and 
“ cordelling,”  while  others  cut  down  tall, 
224 


‘‘SAM  HOKOMOKE’’ 


high  feathering  pines  to  be  used  as  rollers 
under  the  ark.  The  live-oak  was  also  cut 
down  and  a way  cleared  for  the  re-launch- 
ing. 

They  christened  the  hammock  “ Ara- 
rat.” 

When  they  were  ready  to  get  the  ark 
down  into  the  swamp,  the  crews  of  two 
corn-laden  barges  from  St.  Louis  came 
across  to  render  assistance,  bringing  with 
them  hawsers  and  pulley-blocks. 

The  great  broadhorn  was  finally  floated 
on  the  submerged  savannah,  and  it  was 
comparatively  easy  for  the  men  to  pole 
back  to  the  river  gap,  where  the  hardest  of 
their  task  yet  awaited  the  arksmen.  Here 
the  clumsily  wrought  harness  came  into 
play  again.  Claiborne  and  Lincoln  had 
also  contrived  hames,  roughly  hewn  out  of 
green  willow  wood. 

A strong  post  was  set  in  the  river  bank, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  gap.  A section  off 
225 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


the  trunk  of  a large  hollow  tree  was  fitted 
upon  the  post  so  as  to  revolve  on  it,  for 
hawsers  to  reeve  round.  Their  supply  of 
line  running  short,  three  extra  hawsers 
were  bought  from  passing  boats,  and  a 
double  pulley-block  constructed  from  sea- 
soned plank  and  two  iron  bolts. 

With  such  rude  tackle,  contrived 
wholly  by  the  ingenuity  of  the  pioneers, 
twelve  of  the  horses  were  at  length  hitched 
to  a long  hawser,  reeved  through  the 
pulley-block  and  running  round  the  post, 
and  the  ark  was  hauled  foot  by  foot  up 
into  the  river. 

The  St.  Louis  cofn  barges  had  gone  on, 
but  other  barges  had  been  lying-by  to 
render  such  assistance  as  was  in  their  power, 
and  they  were  on  the  point  of  giving  a 
cheer  for  the  ark  when  they  noticed  that 
all  the  labor  spent  upon  her  had  been  in 
vain. 

The  ark  was  sinking. 

226 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE  HEAD 


HERE’S  a bottom  plank  most 
out  of  her  ! ” shouted 
Moses,  coming  on  deck  and 
looking  wildly  about  for 
Marion.  ‘‘She’s  goin’ 
® down ! ” 


“ I don’t  reckon  she’ll 
sink,”  said  Kenton;  “but 


she’ll  be  durn  wet  to  sleep  in.” 

“ What  did  it  ? ” cried  Lewis. 

“Sawyer,  I guess,  while  she  was  cornin’ 
through  the  gap.  It  was  an  awful  pull. 
Ain’t  nothin’  left  to  show  what  done  it, 
now,”  said  MacAfee. 

“There’s  a bayou  a little  way  below 
here  that  we  can  pole  her  into  and  lay 
her  up,”  said  Marion.  “Let  go  the  haw- 
sers. Lewis,  you  and  Lincoln  watch  the 
cargo  and  the  horses.  Get  ashore,  I don’t 


227 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


believe  she  can  sink.  Let  go  the  lines — 
all  together — Claiborne,  you  and  Kenton 
and  Mose  man  the  sweeps.  Til  look  out 
forward.  Watch  the  water,  you  fellows. 
If  she  settles  any  further,  call  out.  Give 
us  time  to  get  off  in  the  skiffs.  I don’t 
think  she’ll  settle  much  farther.” 

The  ark  had  sunk  to  her  gunwales,  and 
now  floated  like  a raft.  The  whole  crew 
were  on  deck,  excepting  the  two  who  had 
been  set  ashore  to  watch  the  cargo  and 
horses.  With  her  dismantled  cabin  piled 
amidships,  she*  looked  a wreck  indeed,  and 
excited  much  sympathy  from  the  craft 
that  passed  her.  About  a mile  below,  the 
arksmen  worked  her  into  a flooded  bayou, 
up  which  they  were  obliged  to  pole  for  a 
considerable  distance  before  reaching  shoal 
water. 

On  this  bayou  the  arksmen,  directed  by 
Marion,  established  a permanent  camp. 
The  cargo  was  brought  over  by  small  boat- 
228 


THE  HEAD 


loads,  and  some  was  loaded  and  brought 
across  by  land  on  the  horses,  and  stored  in 
a shelter  which  was  built  for  it.  There 
were  no  means  of  re-shipping  it  by  other 
barges,  for  all  the  craft  on  the  river  were 
loaded  with  their  own  freight ; and,  besides, 
the  port  was  still  closed  to  the  Americans. 

At  this  camp  Marion  overhauled  the 
great  flatboat  as  well  as  he  could,  without 
getting  it  out  of  the  water,  and  so  heavy 
had  been  the  damage  done  by  the  snag  and 
the  strain  of  bringing  the  ark  through  the 
gap  that,  as  Moses  said,  the  cross-bottoming 
and  closing  of  the  seams  was  about  as  much 
work  as  building  two  new  flatboats. 

Weeks  passed,  and  the  stifling  malarial 
summer  wore  through.  One  after  another 
the  men  sickened  with  a local  fever,  against 
which  their  familiar  remedies  seemed 
powerless.  They  recovered,  but  the  great 
heat  which  made  work  during  the  middle 
of  the  day  impossible,  kept  them  prostrated. 

229 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


The  dews  fell  like  rain  every  night,  and 
made  sleeping  on  the  ground,  as  they  were 
accustomed  to  doing  in  the  northern  woods, 
more  dangerous  than  they  knew.  The  air 
they  breathed  was  full  of  heavy  scents  from 
blossoming  bays  and  magnolias. 

Marion  realized,  too  late,  that  he  had 
been  led  by  a forlorn  hope  into  entering  a 
cul  de  sac.  He  kept  up  the  spirits  of  the 
men,  however,  and  after  nightfall  led  many 
an  excursion  up  and  down  the  bayou,  spear- 
ing alligators  by  torchlight,  from  the  skiffs. 
The  men  enjoyed  this,  for  there  are  few 
more  exciting  sports,  and  it  helped  to  keep 
the  alligators  at  a distance  from  the  camp, 
where  they  were  too  fond  of  coming  at 
night  to  look  for  garbage  around  the  cook- 
ing quarters,  and  terrify  the  horses  and 
Tige.  His  life,  poor  fellow,  was  not  a 
happy  one.  Jimmy  had  captured  a baby 
alligator,  about  two  feet  long,  and  was  try- 
ing to  tame  him  in  a little  corral  near  the 
230 


THE  HEAD 


camp.  Natural  sin  was  deeply  rooted  in 
his  nature,  however,  and  he  and  Tige,  who 
could  not  leave  such  small  fry  to  scoff  at 
him  unpunished,  kept  up  a constant  and 
deadly  warfare ; and  yet  it  ended  in  the 
little  reptile’s  drooping  away  from  too 
much  civilizing,  until,  like  a flower  out  of 
water,  he  withered  up,  his  skin  grew 
cracked  and  dingy,  and  he  died  and  was 
buried  with  melancholy  rites. 

Marion  also  sent  the  men  fishing  a good 
deal,  and  they  trolled  all  the  way  to  the 
head  of  the  bayou  after  green  trout,  or 
black  bass,  as  they  are  called  in  the  north. 

It  was  on  one  of  these  trips  that  the 
boys  made  a curious  discovery  which 
greatly  excited  the  imagination  of  Moses, 
and  led  Jimmy  to  think  of  something 
which  indirectly  saved  the  fortunes  of  the 
crew,  and,  in  all  probability,  Marion  Royce’s 
life  as  well. 

The  two  were  paddling  up  a branch  of 
231 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


the  bayou,  which  they  had  never  explored 
before.  It  was  just  sunrise,  for  they 
usually  made  these  expeditions  about  day- 
break, and  brought  back  the  camp’s  break- 
fast. The  creek  was  very  narrow — not 
more  than  ten  feet  across  from  one  high  bank 
to  the  other,  but  fully  fifteen  feet  deep  in 
most  places,  and  fed  by  many  little  springs, 
which  they  could  see  purling  at  the  bot- 
tom. The  still  water  at  the  surface  was  so 
clear  that  they  could  see  the  clean  sand  and 
the  tufts  of  grass  in  which  the  fish  hid, 
motionless.  After  the  months  on  the 
dirty  Mississippi,  and  the  black  waters  of 
the  lower  bayou,  this  little  creek  was  a 
marvel  of  delight  to  the  boys,  and  they 
paddled  along,  their  blades  brushing  the 
banks  as  they  went. 

‘‘  It’s  the  first  perfectly  clear  water 
we’ve  seen  since  we  left  home,  isn’t  it } ” 
said  Mose.  ‘‘  My,  don’t  it  make  you 
homesick  ? ” 

232 


THE  HEAD 


Jimmy  shook  his  head.  He  had  not 
been  homesick.  The  ark  had  been  his 
first  real  home.  ‘‘  Look  ! ” he  cried. 

Moses  looked,  and  saw,  blocking  the 
little  creek  ahead  of  them,  the  ribs  of  an 
ancient,  many-oared  galley.  It  rose,  skele- 
ton-like,  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  hung 
with  tatters  that  looked  like  sea-weed  and 
turned  out  to  be  rust-eaten  chains.  The 
boys  paddled  up  to  it  and  felt  them  over, 
dipping  their  arms  in  to  the  shoulder. 
They  could  see  it  as  clearly  as  if  it  had 
been  out  of  water. 

‘‘Curious,  ain’t  it?”  said  Jimmy.  “Es- 
caped, most  likely,  from  Corsairs,  or 
Spaniards,  or  something.  Wonder  what 
became  of  the  crew  ? ” 

“ Let’s  go  ashore  and  look,”  suggested 
Mose. 

There  was  a tiny  strip  of  shelving 
beach,  up  which  they  drew  the  skiff,  and 
then  they  wandered  about  the  landing-place. 

233 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


“ Here  are  some  marks  on  these  mag- 
nolias,’' said  Moses,  after  prowling  about 
for  awhile.  ‘‘Right  opposite  each  other. 
A ship  on  this,  and  a square  on  the  other. 
Do  you  suppose  there’s  a treasure  hid 
between  them  ? ” 

Jimmy  studied  the  deep  scars  in  the 
smooth  trunks  attentively.  “Uncle  Amasa 
always  said  that  pirates  didn’t  bury  treasure,” 
he  said.  “ They  spent  it  all.  No ; I 
reckon  that’s  just  a mark  to  show  where 
the  next  fellows  were  to  land,  and  what 
they’d  find  when  they  got  here.” 

“ I bet  there’s  treasure,”  said  Moses, 
excitedly.  “ Let’s  come  up  here  every 
morning,  and  dig  until  we’ve  dug  all  round 
the  landing,  and  see  if  we  don’t  find  it  1 ” 

Jimmy  looked  at  him  with  paternal 
indulgence.  “ Don’t  you  get  work  enough 
on  the  ark  to  suit  you?”  he  asked.  “Come 
on  into  the  woods  a bit  and  see  what  they 
meant  by  these  marks.” 

234 


THE  HEAD 


They  went  up  a pine-needle-covered 
slope  and  gained  a tiny  little  cleared 
plateau,  and  saw  an  orderly  line  of  live  fig 
trees.  If  the  boys  had  been  southern  born, 
this  might  have  told  them  that  they  were 
looking  at  the  place  where  people  had 
lived,  but  they  knew  nothing  about  the 
habits  of  fig  trees,  and  they  did  not  even 
guess  that  the  late  crop  of  brown  fruit 
which  hung  to  the  branches  was  good  to 
eat.  Experience  with  sundry  prickly  pears 
had  made  them  cautious  where  they  had  at 
first  been  venturesome,  and  they  left  the  figs 
alone.  A few  silvery  boards  strewed  the 
cleared  ground,  and  at  a little  distance  a 
row  of  strange  little  wooden  edifices,  like 
the  dog  tents  of  soldiers,  were  falling  into 
decay.  Moses  bent  down  and  peered  into 
one  of  them. 

Why,  they’re  graves  ! ” he  exclaimed, 
in  an  awed  voice.  I wonder  why  they 
were  covered  like  this.” 


235 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


‘‘To  keep  animals  from  rooting  up  the 
dead,  I reckon,”  answered  Jimmy,  who 
was  practical.  “ The  people  from  the  boat 
must  have  come  and  lived  here  and  waited 
for  their  friends  a long  time,  and  died  of 
some  fever,  one  by  one,  so  that  each  fellow 
was  decently  buried.  That’s  all  I can 
make  of  it,  and  I reckon  that  satisfies  me. 
Don’t  it  you  ? ” 

“No,  it  don’t,”  said  Moses,  decidedly. 
“ I want  to  hunt  for  the  treasure.” 

Jimmy  looked  at  the  younger  boy 
thoughtfully,  without  answering.  He  saw 
that  the  vision  of  treasure  had  filled  Moses’ 
imagination  so  that  the  terrible  parallel 
that  these  lost  graves  and  relics  of  a boat 
foreshadowed,  for  their  own  desolate  plight 
farther  down  the  bayou  did  not  even  occur 
to  him.  Nothing  could  be  gained  by 
pointing  it  out,  moreover,  so  he  kept  his 
peace.  He  examined  the  ground  carefully, 
and  searched  the  bottom  of  the  creek, 
236 


THE  HEAD 


when  they  finally  returned  to  their  skiff; 
but  the  sands  of  many  years  had  sifted  back 
and  forth,  and  he  saw  nothing. 

“ Mebby  he  got  away,"’  he  muttered, 
‘‘  when  there  wasn’t  any  one  left  to  look 
after.  Lord  A’mighty,  I hope  so.” 

‘‘  Who  got  away  ? What  ye  talking 
about?”  asked  Moses. 

‘‘  The  last  one,  of  course,”  said  Jimmy. 
‘‘We  counted  nine  of  those  hen  coops. 
Some  fellow  must  have  buried  the  last  one, 
mustn’t  he  ? We  did’nt  find  any  traces 
of  him  anywhere,  so  I reckon  when  there 
wa’n’t  anybody  left  to  look  after,  he  got 
away,  and  mebby  lived  to  get  somewhere. 
I hope  so.” 

“ Then  he  probably  took  the  treasure 
with  him,  if  there  was  any  ? ” asked  Mose, 
who  was  still  cherishing  visions. 

Jimmy  stared  at  him.  “ Oh,  dod  rot 
you  and  your  treasure,”  he  said,  roughly.  “ I 
mean — of  cour-se,  he  took  it.  W ouldn’ t you  ? ” 

m 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Sure — of  course/’  said  Mose.  But 
this  view  of  the  case  was  a great  blow  to 
his  fancies,  and  they  rowed  down  to  camp 
almost  in  silence. 

When  they  got  back  to  the  ark,  Moses 
was  full  of  their  discovery,  and  told  the 
men  about  the  galley  and  the  marks  on  the 
trees,  and  discussed  the  possibility  of 
treasure.  But  Jimmy  drew  Marion  aside 
to  propose  a very  different  idea. 

‘‘  Mack,”  he  said,  abruptly,  ‘‘  I want  to 
take  one  of  the  skiffs  and  go  to  Natchez.” 

Marion  lifted  his  head  sharply.  “ What 
for  ? ” he  asked.  He  was  the  color  of  clay, 
and  staggered  as  he  stood.  “ What  for  ? ” 
he  repeated,  sharply. 

“ Tm  afraid  I’ll  lose  my  head  if  I don’t 
go,”  answered  Jimmy. 

“ Your  head,  man  ? What’s  the  matter 
with  you  ? Are  you  sick,  too  ? ” 

It’s  the  same  as  mine,”  persisted 
Jimmy.  The  others  can’t  tell  who  shot 
238 


THE  HEAD 


him,  but  they're  all  willing  I should  nego- 
tiate for  the  crowd,  because  he  gave  me 
the  most  trouble.  I mean  Big  Harp — his 
head.  I want  to  take  it  to  Natchez,  and 
give  it  over  to  the  commandant  at  the  fort 
and  have  it  stuck  up  on  the  palisades,  so 
that  there  won’t  be  so  much  outlawry  along 
the  river  for  a while.  I got  to  studyin’ 
about  it  up  the  bayou,  and  I think  it’s 
my  duty.  I oughtn’t  to  wait.” 

Was  this  Jimmy  Claiborne?  The  boy 
who  talked  about  his  duty  to  other  river- 
men  ? Marion  looked  at  him  with  a dawn- 
ing understanding  of  what  the  month  among 
the  outlaws,  and  the  months  on  the  ark, 
had  been  to  the  boy  who  had  been  con- 
demned at  home.  He  knew  nothing  of  the 
way  the  incident  up  the  bayou — which  had 
fired  the  younger  boy  with  enthusiasm  for 
treasure  hunting — had  brought  home  to 
this  one  what  he  owed  to  his  fellows.  And 
the  young  captain  stood  silent,  staring  out 

239 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

of  feverish  eyes  at  the  big  fellow  who  faced 
him. 

“Jimmy,”  said  Marion,  leaning  back 
against  a magnolia,  “do  you  know  that 
you’re  the  only  man  I can  count  on  ? ” 

“ Me?”  said  Jimmy. 

“Yes,  you.  Kenton  is  around,  and 
that’s  about  all.  He’s  discouraged.  Mac- 
Afee’s  discouraged.  Merrick’s  a pretty 
sick  man.  I’m  discouraged.  Oh,  boy,” 
he  broke  off,  “ if  you  knew  what  a load 

this  expedition  is  to  carry  about  on ” 

“ On  a chill  ? ” suggested  Jimmy. 

“Yes,  that’s  it.  On  a chill.  A band 
of  those  rufSans  who  are  loafing  around 
Natchez  could  come  up  here  and  wipe  us 
out — the  way  we  stand.  There’s  Charlie 
and  Lewis  Hoyt,  and  there’s  Shadwell  and 
Moses  and  you,  and  that’s  about  all.” 

He  leaned  against  the  magnolia  and 
thrust  his  hands  deep  in  his  pockets  and 
regarded  Jimmy  with  a countenance  so  dis- 


240 


THE  HEAD 


mal  that  Jimmy  felt  himself  stricken  with 
an  icy  foretaste  of  fear ; not  fear  for  his  life 
or  limb,  but  that  fear  known  as  responsi- 
bility for  others,  which  he  now  realized 
was  the  thing  that  most  brave  men  carried 
about  with  them,  even  when  they  slept. 
Marion  had  carried  it  all  through  the  voy- 
age. Was  he  laying  it  down  ? 

“You’ll  be  all  right  by  mid-day,”  said 
Jimmy,  with  outward  cheerfulness.  “You’ll 
be  all  right.  Mack.  Don’t  you  go  and 
worry.  Everything’s  doin’  all  right.  The 
men  are  gettin’  on  pretty  well.  Corson 
has  his  chill,  and  then  about  noon  he  gets 
up  and  waters  the  horses.  Every  fellow  is 
able  to  do  something.  They  ain’t  knocked 
out.  Why,  if  any  danger  was  to  come 
along  it  would  brace  ’em  right  up.” 

Marion  frowned.  “ I want  you  to 
know  how  things  are,”  he  said,  a little 
impatiently.  “ I don’t  want  you  to  think 
things  are  all  right,  and  then  some  morn- 
241 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


ing  have  the  whole  load  fall  on  you  with- 
out any  warning,  that’s  all.” 

He  pulled  himself  up  with  an  effort. 
‘‘  If  you  go  to  Natchez,  you’d  better  find 
out  from  somebody  who’s  had  experience 
in  this  climate  how  they  treat  these  fevers. 
You’d  better  take  Lincoln  with  you,  for 
you’ll  probably  have  a fight  on  your  hands. 
There’s  a rough  crowd  there,  and  if  you’re 
alone  you’ll  probably  lose  your  ‘Big  Harp.’ 
Find  out  everything  you  can  about  the 
chances  of  deposit  at  New  Orleans.  The 
commandant  probably  won’t  tell  you  much, 
but  what  he  does  say  will  have  truth  in  it; 
and  all  these  rumors  that  we’ve  been  getting 
have  nothing  definite,  except  that  we  can’t 
deposit  and  ought  to  fight.  The  men 
along  the  river  don’t  know  any  more  about 
the  plans  of  the  French  than  we  do.  I 
hope  there’s  no  fight  coming  ; but  if  there 
is,  God  willing,  we’ll  take  a hand  in  it.” 

“ You  bet,”  said  Jimmy.  He  cleared 
242 


THE  HEAD 

his  throat,  because  what  he  had  to  say 
embarrassed  him.  ‘‘  Mack,”  he  began,  “ I 
reckon  you  know  Til  stand  by  you  ? If 
you’re  going  to  be  sick,  don’t  you  go  and 
worry.  I’ll  stand  by  the  ark.  I can  put 
the  thing  through.  You  can  trust  me.” 

Marion  smiled  wearily.  “You  will  be 
captain,  Jimmy  ? ” 

Jimmy  flushed.  His  lip  trembled. 
“You’re  the  captain  of  this  expedition,”  he 
answered  in  a voice  that  he  tried  hard  to 
make  steady,  “ and  captain  you’re  going  to 
stay.  Mack,  whether  ye’re  up  or  on  your 
back  here  in  camp ; and  I’ll  see  that  your 
orders  get  carried  out,  that’s  all.  But  don’t 
you  worry — you  hear  me  ? ” 

“ All  right,”  said  Marion.  “ I guess 
we  understand  each  other.” 

“ i reckon  we  do,”  said  Jimmy. 

The  young  captain  moved  away  to- 
wards the  shelter  of  poles  where  Kenton 
was  feeding  the  horses.  He  walked 

243 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


unsteadily,  and  Jimmy  saw  him  wipe  his 
forehead  with  the  back  of  his  hand.  A 
heavy  weight  settled  on  Jimmy’s  heart. 
And  this  was  the  man  Jimmy  had  sworn  to 
be  revenged  upon,  for  forbidding  him  to 
join  the  crew  ! At  that  moment,  watching 
him  going  off  to  look  after  the  welfare  of 
the  camp  when  he  should  have  been  in  bed, 
Jimmy  would  have  welcomed  the  chance 
of  laying  down  his  life  for  Marion  Royce. 

If  Marion  should  let  sickness  get  hold 
of  him  so  that  he  could  not  command  the 
expedition,  what  would  become  of  all  of 
them  ? In  the  crew  there  were  but  Marion 
and  himself  who  had  the  gift  of  leadership. 
The  others,  efficient  enough  in  other  ways, 
all  had  disqualifications  for  commanders, 
and  would  quickly  have  brought  the  rest 
of  the  crew  to  riot  and  mutiny  and  chaos. 
The  fact  that  Marion  had  been  afraid  of 
Jimmy’s  influence  at  the  outset,  pointed  to 
the  influence  which  Jimmy  had  it  in  him 
244 


THE  HEAD 


to  wield,  for  either  good  or  evil,  and  now 
Jimmy  wondered  that  he  had  ever  threat- 
ened to  cast  it  against  law  and  order. 

He  continued  to  turn  it  all  over  and 
over  in  his  mind  through  the  process  of 
helping  get  the  breakfast  of  fish  and  pot 
porridge;  and  even  after  he  and  Shadwell 
had  provisioned  their  skiff  and  started  down 
the  river  towards  Natchez,  he  continued  to 
think  of  it. 

He  did  not  communicate  his  thoughts 
to  Lincoln.  No  one  ever  confided  in 
Lincoln.  He  was  too  unsympathetic. 
With  his  drawling  indolence,  he  scoffed  at 
everything.  Jimmy  looked  at  him  and 
wondered  if  he  had  ever  felt  a responsibility. 

‘‘Well,’’  said  Shadwell  at  length,  re- 
turning the  look  with  one  of  languid 
tolerance,  “ you’re  most  as  talkative  as  your 
pa.  What’s  the  matter  ? ” 

“ Nothin’,”  said  Jimmy. 

“ Old  Mack’s  petering  out,”  observed 
245 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Shadwell.  ‘‘  Fussed  like  an  old  granny 
about  our  getting  off*.  You’d  think  we 
were  goin’  to  New  Orleans.  Wanted  to 
have  Lewis  come  along,  at  the  last  minute, 
and  leave  them  short-handed.” 

Jimmy  pulled  away  at  the  oars.  ‘‘  Good 
thing,  too,  if  we  could  have  him,”  he  said. 
“You  just  wait  till  it  comes  to  pullin’ 
back  ; you’ll  think  so,  too.” 

Lincoln  lay  back  in  the  stern  and 
waved  off  the  mosquitoes.  A little  later 
in  the  day  the  breeze  would  come  up  and 
blow  them  away  for  a time,  but  now  they 
swam  in  the  sunlight  like  singing  clouds. 

“ Dod  rot  ’em,”  said  Lincoln. 

They  shot  out  into  the  river  and  the 
current  took  Jimmy’s  work  away  from 
him. 

Only  two  boats  were  floating  down,  but 
from  the  crews  of  these  they  received  much 
disconcerting  news. 

The  climax  of  the  long  grievance  had 
246 


THE  HEAD 


come.  The  Spaniards  could  no  longer 
arbitrarily  keep  the  gate  of  the  world  closed 
to  the  frontiersmen.  For  the  West  an  out- 
let was  necessary  at  New  Orleans.  The 
flatboats  must  unload  there  and  deposit  their 
goods  pending  reshipment  in  sea-going 
vessels.  Ten  years  before,  when  the 
Spaniards  had  denied  this  privilege,  the 
West  had  talked  of  war,  and  a treaty  had 
been  made  which  gave  the  Americans  the 
right  to  unload  their  goods.  The  term 
of  the  treaty  had  expired  and  the  Spaniards 
had  withdrawn  this  right  of  deposit.  All 
was  again  chaos,  rendered  more  formid- 
able by  the  great  increase  in  the  river 
traffic.  What  with  their  market  closed  and 
the  talk  of  a French  invasion,  it  was  no 
wonder  that  the  rivermen  were  ready  and 
anxious  to  fight. 

As  they  neared  Natchez  they  received 
more  news.  Bonaparte,  with  a navy  behind 
him,  was  coming  to  colonize  the  Missis- 
247 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


sippi  Valley  as  a Grand  French  Empire  of 
the  West.”  Meanwhile,  the  arksmen  who 
ventured  below  Point  Coupe — “ the  Line  of 
West  Florida  ” — as  it  was  called,  would 
probably  be  stopped  by  a Spanish  battery, 
recently  planted  there  by  the  governor. 

The  flotilla  at  Natchez  was  evidence  of 
the  reality  of  this  blockade.  As  Jimmy  and 
Lincoln  wound  in  and  out  among  the  fleet 
it  seemed  to  them  that  the  army  which  it 
represented,  all  the  way  down  to  the  line, 
must  overwhelm  the  Spanish  troops  if  it 
came  to  fighting.  In  fact,  the  arksmen 
had  little  fear  of  the  Spaniards.  It  was 
Bonaparte  and  his  General  Victor  whom 
they  feared. 

The  Marietta  brig  was  moored  among 
barges  and  broadhorns,  and  Jimmy  soon 
picked  out  a man  he  knew,  who  consented 
to  watch  their  skiff  while  they  went  ashore. 
He  expressed  a good  deal  of  curiosity  as  to 
their  errand,  but  Jimmy  deemed  it  unwise 
248 


THE  HEAD 


to  give  any  information,  and  made  no 
mention  of  the  plight  in  which  they  had 
left  the  rest  of  the  crew  and  the  ark. 

The  sun  was  setting  as  they  went  up  to 
the  fort  and  applied  for  admittance.  On 
the  parade  ground  the  flag  was  being 
lowered,  and  the  recruits  who  were  drilling 
had  been  formed  to  salute  it.  The  notes 
of  a bugle  died  away.  The  little  gun,  on 
the  parapet  overlooking  the  river,  leaped 
forward  with  a loud  report. 

‘‘You  can’t  seethe  colonel,”  said  the 
sentry,  in  answer  to  Jimmy’s  request. 
“ Come  to-morrow  morning,  after  guard 
mounting.” 

“ We  must  see  him,”  said  Jimmy,  look- 
ing towards  the  dispersing  group  about  the 
flagstaff.  “It’s  important.  We’ve  got  to 
get  back  up  the  river  to-night.” 

The  sentry  looked  at  him  stolidly,  and 
returned  his  musket  to  his  shoulder. 

Two  figures  came  towards  them : one, 
249 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


whom  the  boys  saw  was  the  commandant ; 
the  other  a civilian,  a slender  young 
gentleman,  dressed  quietly  in  black.  With- 
out further  parley  Jimmy  started  forward 
to  waylay  them. 

‘‘  Halt,  you  ! ’’  said  the  sentry.  “ I tell 
you,  you  can’t  see  him.” 

I’ve  got  to  see  the  commandant,”  said 
Jimmy,  loudly,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  the 
nearing  figures.  I’ve  brought  the  head 
of  Big  Harp,  and  I don’t  want  to  leave  the 
fort  with  it.  Some  of  the  cut-throats 
around  here  would  be  glad  to  break  my 
head  in  exchange  for  it,  if  I take  it  away.” 

His  words  reached  the  commandant,  as 
he  had  intended  that  they  should,  and  he 
and  his  companion  looked  up.  Both  men 
appeared  in  rare  good  humor,  which  was, 
doubtless,  the  reason  for  the  attention  which 
the  two  arksmen  received. 

‘‘You  wish  to  see  me?”  the  colonel 
asked.  “You  say  you  have  Big  Harp’s  head?” 

250 


THE  HEAD 


“Yes,  sir.” 

“ Come  this  way.”  He  led  the  boys  out 
of  hearing  of  the  sentry.  “You  will  pardon 
me.  Governor,”  he  added  to  the  young 
gentleman  with  him,  “but  this  is  the  fourth 
time  that  Big  Harp's  head  has  come  to  me 
within  the  year.  If  a patriot  had  as  many 
heads  to  give  for  his  country  as  an  outlaw 
has  to  have  offered  for  ransom,  our  enemies 
would  never  come  to  the  end  of  them. 
What  proof  have  you,  young  sir,  and,  in 
faith,  who  are  you  that  you  wear  a scalp- 
lock  with  a civil  tongue?  Your  garments 
bespeak  the  arksman  from  Kentucky,  but 
your  head  looks  as  if  it  might  be  forfeit, 
like  our  friend's  here.” 

“Aye,  sir,  it  came  near  being,”  said 
Jimmy,  smiling;  “and  to  him,  at  that.  But 
since  it  had  to  be  the  one  or  the  other.  I'm 
glad  to  have  had  it  as  it  is.”  He  began 
fumbling  with  the  leather  thong  that  tied 
the  bag  he  carried. 


251 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


‘‘Oh,  not  so  fast,”  expostulated  the 
colonel.  “It’s  an  ill  sight  to  sup  on.  Gov- 
ernor Claiborne,  here,  would  be  offering  a 
ransom  for  the  return  of  his  appetite.  Let 
it  wait  until  to-morrow.” 

“ Governor  Claiborne  ? ” repeated  Jimmy . 
He  looked  with  astonishment  on  the  young 
gentleman  in  black. 

The  governor  looked  back  at  him  in 
some  amusement.  “Well,”  said  the  gover- 
nor, briskly,  “what  is  it?  I assure  you  there’s 
no  ransom  just  at  present  on  my  head,  that 
you  should  covet  it.” 

“I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,”  said  Jimmy, 
hastily.  “I  was  surprised.  My  name  is 
Claiborne.” 

“The  devil  it  is!”  said  the  governor. 
“You  do  me  too  much  honor.  And  what’s 
the  beginning  of  it?  I didn’t  know  there 
were  any  head-hunters  amongst  our  family. 
Where  are  you  from?” 

“From  Ohio,”  said  Jimmy.  “We  came 
252 


THE  HEAD 


from  Virginia.  Uncle  Amasa,  my  grandfa- 
ther, is  descended  from  William  Claiborne.” 

‘H  see,  cousins,”  said  the  governor. 
“Well,  cousin,  my  advice  to  you  while  you 
are  in  Natchez  is  that  you  go  and  make  the 
acquaintance  of  the  barber.”  He  put  his 
hand  into  his  pocket  and  brought  out  some 
silver  pieces. 

Jimmy  drew  back,  flushing  haughtily. 
“We  have  to  get  back  to  our  ark,”  he  said. 
“We  have  left  some  very  sick  men  up  a 
bayou  just  below  the  place  where  we  were 
shipwrecked.  One  of  my  errands  was  to 
learn  from  some  doctor  who  knows  the 
fevers  how  to  take  care  of  our  sick.” 

The  bearing  of  the  two  older  men 
changed  at  once.  They  asked  questions  of 
Jimmy  and  Lincoln,  and  as  one  question 
brought  up  another  they  eventually  had  the 
history  of  the  voyage  from  the  moment  of 
Jimmy’s  joining  the  crew,  and  Jimmy’s 
anger  cooled. 


253 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


‘‘One  thing  I brought  that  I thought 
might  be  sent  on  its  way  if  you  knew  who 
it  was  meant  for/’  he  added,  fishing  in  his 
pocket.  “It’s  a letter  that  the  outlaws 
took  from  a despatch  messenger  that  they 
killed.  They  thought  it  had  something 
to  say  about  money  being  sent  by  a brig 
from  Marietta,  and  they  had  me  read  part 
of  it.  But  when  they  found  it  was  about 
militia,  they  were  disappointed  and  let  me 
keep  the  letter.  Here  it  is.” 

The  outer  addressed  sheet  was  missing, 
but  the  rest,  including  the  sheet  which 
Jimmy  had  used  for  his  message,  was  all 
there,  and  as  it  was  growing  dark  the  colonel 
unfolded  a little  pocket  lantern,  and  putting 
it  together,  stuck  a candle  in  it,  and  read 
the  letter  carefully.  Then  he  handed  it 
to  the  governor,  who  also  read  it.  They 
looked  at  each  other. 

“I  congratulate  you,”  said  the  colonel. 

“Thank  you.  But  the  purchase  may 
254 


THE  HEAD 


not  go  through.”  The  governor  turned  to 
Jimmy.  ‘‘Have  you  read  this  letter,  my 
son  ? ” 

“They  made  me; — most  of  it,  but  as  I 
did  n’t  know  who  it  was  from  nor  who  it 
was  to,  I didn’t  learn  much.” 

“You  did  n’t  recognize  the  signature  of 
President  Jefferson,  nor  my  initials,  with  the 
dashes  between  them?” 

“Indeed,  sir,  but  I’d  never  happened  to 
hear  of  you  at  all,”  said  Jimmy,  candidly, 
“until  the  colonel  here  introduced  you, 
and  I could  not  make  out  the  signature. 
Are  you  the  one  that’s  to  be  picked  out  to 
receive  the  territory  from  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte if  the  President  buys  it,  as  the  letter 
says  he’s  offered  to?  Faith,  I’d  like  to  see 
that,  sir.  I’d  like  to  be  able  to  tell  Uncle 
Amasa  that  one  of  our  folks  had  a hand  in 
such  a thing  as  that.  He’d  be  right  proud 
to  hear  it.” 

The  governor  looked  in  stupefaction  at 

255 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


the  unmoved  young  arksman  who  spoke  with 
so  little  deference,  and  yet  from  such  an 
honest  pride.  Then  he  threw  back  his 
head  and  laughed  boyishly,  loud  and  long. 
The  colonel,  after  glaring  a moment,  also 
threw  his  head  back,  and  Jimmy,  after  look- 
ing doubtfully  from  one  to  the  other,  joined 
them. 

“Fll  bear  it  in  mind,’*  the  governor  said. 
‘Hf  there  is  anything  to  see,  by  Jupiter,  you 
shall  see  it,  and  more  thereafter.  But  now, 
colonel,  how  about  the  sick  men  up  the 
bayou?  They  must  be  gotten  out  of  there. 
Can’t  we  send  up  some  men  and  put  them 
aboard  their  ark  and  fetch  them  out  where 
they’ll  have  a chance  for  life  and  limb?” 

‘‘We  certainly  will,”  said  the  command- 
ant, and  they  were  soon  deep  in  ways  and 
means. 

The  head  of  Big  Harp  the  colonel  de- 
livered to  an  orderly  whom  he  called  to 
him,  to  be  guarded  until  morning,  when  it 
256 


THE  HEAD 


should  be  displayed  on  the  Natchez  trace, 
as  a warning  to  all  outlaws  and  a protection 
to  the  pioneers  along  the  river. 

“The  bounty  will  be  paid  to  you,”  he 
promised  Jimmy,  as  he  sent  the  two  boys 
away  in  command  of  a barge-load  of  men 
and  a surgeon. 

“ Fd  rather  not  take  it,  sir,”  said  Jimmy. 
“It  would  be  blood  money.  Spend  it  in 
making  the  river  safer  for  the  arksmen. 
Fm  mighty  grateful  to  you  for  arranging 
to  get  us  out  of  the  bayou  with  our  cargo, 
and  if  we  can  land  it  at  New  Orleans  and 
sell  it  and  get  home  with  all  safe,  we’ll 
count  ourselves  lucky  enough.” 

“The  river  is  open,”  said  the  colonel. 
“You’ll  have  no  trouble  with  the  Spaniards. 
They  got  frightened  when  they  heard  about 
the  Independent  Army  you  arksmen  were 
organizing,  and  have  restored  the  right  of 
deposit.  But  with  all  this  rumor  of  a 
French  invasion  threatening,  no  one  will 
257 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


buy  goods.  Vm  afraid  we  can't  help  you 
there,  so  you'd  better  accept  the  money, 
though  your  unwillingness  does  you  credit. 
I'll  be  bound." 

“I'd  rather  not,  sir,"  answered  Jimmy, 
“and  the  others  didn't  have  half  as  much 
trouble  with  him  as  I did.  I'd  rather  you'd 
use  it  to  protect  the  rivermen." 

The  governor,  who  was  still  with  them, 
clapped  his  hand  on  Jimmy’s  shoulder. 
“You’re  one  of  us,  all  right,"  he  said.  “The 
colonel  will  keep  it  in  trust  for  you,  to  buy 
land — or  get  an  education  at  the  University 
of  Virginia,  where  the  rest  of  the  family 
have  gotten  their  learning.  Would  that 
suit  you?" 

“I've  got  plenty  of  land,"  said  Jimmy, 
doubtfully,  “and  I expect  I'd  never  come 
to  be  governor  even  if  I went  to  the  Uni- 
versity. I reckon  it  had  better  go  into 
protection  for  the  arksmen  along  the  river. 
I'll  be  cornin'  down  occasionally  myself, 
258 


THE  HEAD 


and  Fd  like  to  feel  that  my  money  is  out 
keepin’  watch  along  shore  somewhere,  or 
else  helping  to  fit  out  explorers  in  the  wil- 
derness, like  uncle  Amasa’s  always  pining 
to.  I reckon  that  would  suit  me  best.” 

“Well,  well,  we  needn’t  equip  an  ex- 
pedition with  it  now,”  said  the  colonel. 
“Good  luck  to  you,  and  au  revoir^ 

“Goodbye,”  said  Jimmy,  “and  thank 
you.” 

“Goodbye,  cousin!  See  you  in  New 
Orleans,”  shouted  the  governor. 


259 


CHAPTER  XII 

NEW  ORLEANS 


LTHOUGH  the  command- 
ant had  told  Jimmy  that 
the  river  was  open,  the 
ark  had  yet  to  hear 
from  the  Spanish  in- 
tendant. 

Marion  Royce  was 
down  with  the  fever  when  he  was  helped 
aboard  and  the  voyage  resumed,  and  Jimmy 
took  his  place,  in  a measure,  and  there  was 
no  demur.  Even  Shadwell  Lincoln  showed 
him  a sarcastic  deference  since  the  interview 
with  the  governor. 

Night  and  a dense  fog  covered  the  river, 
when  they  reached  the  line  of  West  Florida. 

Suddenly,  as  the  ark  floated  downward, 
its  headway  was  slowly  arrested,  and  they 
heard  the  jangle  of  a bell  ashore.  The  ark 
came  to  a standstill. 

260 


NEW  ORLEANS 


Lewis,  who  was  leaning  over  the  port 
bow,  heard  the  dull  swish  of  the  current 
against  a cable,  and  saw  that  a raft  of  drift- 
wood had  already  collected  against  it.  He 
dropped  on  his  knees  and  started  to  crawl 
aft  to  report. 

Before  he  was  half-way  there,  however, 
there  was  a dull  red  flash  in  the  fog,  ac- 
companied by  a tremendous  report,  and  a 
cannonball  howled  over  the  ark.  So  start- 
ling a salute  might  well  have  caused  con- 
fusion, but  the  pioneer  arksmen  did  not 
lack  coolness  in  danger.  The  horses,  in- 
deed, jumped  and  made  some  noise,  but  not 
a man  spoke ; and  Lewis,  reaching  Jimmy, 
whispered  his  news. 

He  had  hardly  done  so  when  a second 
red  flash  and  report  followed.  They  heard 
this  ball  skipping  on  the  water  ahead  of 
them.  Still  another  gun  roared  its  hostile 
salutation,  soon  followed  by  a fourth  report ; 
and  but  for  the  poor  shooting  of  the  Spanish 
261 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


gunners,  it  must  have  gone  hard  with  the  ark. 
But,  meanwhile,  Jimmy  was  not  idle. 
Swinging  down  from  the  port  bow,  he 
found  that  he  could  touch  the  cable  with 
his  foot.  It  was  a strong  line ; but  glad 
to  find  that  it  was  not  a chain,  as  he  had 
at  first  feared,  he  sent  Moses  for  a large, 
sharp  knife  from  the  cook-room.  Then, 
bidding  Wistar  and  Lewis  bear  a hand  at  a 
line  which  he  looped  round  his  own  body, 
he  reached  down,  and  after  several  efforts, 
cut  the  hawser. 

It  parted  with  a splash,  and  immediately 
the  ark  floated  on,  silently  as  before.  Four 
or  five  more  shots  were  fired,  but  all  went 
wide  of  the  ark;  the  gunners  appeared  to 
think  that  the  enemy  was  farther  down- 
stream. 

After  passing  the  Spanish  battery,  the 
ark  floated  on  during  the  remainder  of  the 
night,  and  until  eight  or  nine  o’clock  the 
following  morning,  when,  the  fog  clearing 
262 


NEW  ORLEANS 


away,  they  found  themselves  heading  down 
a narrow  passage  between  two  islands. 
Being  still  apprehensive  of  capture,  they 
tied  up  under  cover  of  a wooded  bank  in 
this  narrow  arm  of  water. 

No  one  came  off  to  them  here,  although 
they  saw  several  boats  in  the  channel  out- 
side the  islands ; and  that  night  they  went 
on  again  by  moonlight,  but  had  much 
difficulty  at  a succession  of  great  eddies  in 
the  river.  In  one  of  these  the  ark  floated 
round  and  round  for  an  hour  or  more 
before  they  could  row  out  of  it. 

Very  few  boats  were  seen  that  day,  and 
these  few  were  mostly  market-boats,  plying 
to  and  fro  between  the  city  and  the  numer- 
ous large  plantations  on  both  banks.  Moses 
and  Lewis  had  never  seen  such  fine  places 
before.  There  were  extensive  gardens  of 
vegetables  and  flowers,  and  the  plantation 
houses  looked  palatial  to  their  unaccus- 
tomed eyes. 


263 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


What  astonished  them  still  more  was 
that  the  river  was  so  much  higher  than  the 
fields  of  cane  and  cotton  on  each  side  of  it. 
When  floating  near  the  bank  they  could 
look  down  on  the  gardens  from  the  ark  roof. 

Toward  morning  of  the  third  night 
they  arrived  within  a mile  and  a half  of  the 
city.  As  Jimmy  had  determined  to  go  on 
in  advance  that  day,  to  make  inquiries  as  to 
the  real  condition  of  affairs,  the  ark  was 
moored  to  what,  in  the  dusk  of  the  early 
morning,  was  believed  to  be  a wild-wood 
bank. 

After  tying  up,  Lewis  and  Moses  jumped 
ashore  to  look  about  them.  They  had 
gone  but  a few  steps,  however,  when  they 
found  themselves  in  a grove  of  thick  trees, 
with  yellow  balls  showing  amidst  the  dark- 
green,  glossy  leaves. 

‘‘Oranges,  aren’t  they.  Lew?”  Moses 
exclaimed. 

“ Guess  so,”  said  Lewis,  doubtfully. 

264 


NEW  ORLEANS 


“ Must  be.  Wonder  if  they  are  wild,  or 
do  they  belong  to  somebody  ? 

They  had  heard  oranges  described,  but 
had  never  tasted  one.  A few  steps  away 
there  was  what  appeared  to  be  a green 
hedge,  having  numerous  gaps  in  it;  beyond 
were  more  of  the  thick,  dark-green  trees 
with  the  scattered  yellow  fruit. 

The  two  boys  now  advanced  to  one  of 
the  gaps  in  the  hedge,  but  had  scarcely 
peeped  through  when  a little  bareheaded 
lad  and  a tall,  black-eyed  girl  stepped  out 
from  a covert. 

The  girl  said  something  to  them, 
laughing  heartily  ; something  in  a rapid, 
tripping  tongue,  which  they  did  not  in  the 
least  understand.  Moses  afterward  said  that 
it  sounded  like,  ‘‘  Bonesure-messr-may-voo- 
venny-arboner  ! '* — which  may  have  been, 
“ Good  morning!  You  have  called  early!” 

Like  most  boys  in  pioneer  days,  Lewis 
and  Moses  were  not  very  bashful.  Seeing 
265 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


that  the  girl  was  laughing,  they  laughed  in 
turn,  and  pointed  to  the  small  yellow  globes 
in  the  trees.  Thereupon  the  little  lad 
picked . up  several  oranges,  and  gave  them 
each  one,  with  a bow  and  flourish  of  his 
hand.  Moses  thumbed  his  as  if  it  had  been 
an  apple,  then  essayed  to  take  a big  bite 
from  it,  with  the  result  that  the  juice  flew, 
some  of  it  into  his  own  eyes ! 

Noting  this,  the  girl  laughed  heartily. 
Moses,  winking  hard,  was  inclined  to  make 
angry  remarks;  but  the  boy,  approaching 
with  grave  politeness,  showed  the  newcomer 
how  to  pull  off  the  peel.  He  also  peeled 
an  orange  for  Lewis,  and  invited  them  to 
be  seated  on  a bench  near  by.  There  was 
a house  not  far  off,  half-hidden  by  trees. 

A stout,  dark-haired  man  appeared,  with 
a huge  yellow  and  white  dog,  that  sniffed 
the  strangers  and  then  wagged  his  tail.  The 
man  drew  near  and  said,  ‘‘  Buenas  dias  ! ” and 
asked  what  appeared  to  be  an  abrupt  question. 

266 


NEW  ORLEANS 


Moses  nodded  at  a venture,  although 
he  did  not  understand  a word,  but  Lewis 
shook  his  head.  The  dark  man  looked 
perplexed  and  angry ; but  the  girl  said  some- 
thing about  ‘‘  Norah,’’  to  which  the  man 
replied — still  to  quote  from  Moses — Ah 
— see — Nor  ah'' 

The  girl  ran  away  again,  but  soon 
returned  with  a tall,  austere  woman,  whose 
auburn  hair  was  turning  gray.  The  woman 
glanced  hard  at  the  boys,  and  with  a strong 
Irish  accent  said: 

‘‘  The  sehor  general  wishes  to  know 
where  you  came  from  and  what  you  are 
doing  here,  for  sure.’’ 

Lewis  replied  that  they  had  come  down 
the  river  on  an  ark,  and  that  they  had  seen 
the  oranges  on  the  trees. 

‘‘We  did  not  come  to  steal  them,” 
Moses  added,  honestly  enough.  “We  will 
go  right  away  if  you  say  so.” 

The  woman  smiled  broadly,  then  turned 
267 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


and  repeated  what  they  said  in  Spanish. 
The  small  lad,  meanwhile,  was  peeling 
more  oranges  for  them.  But  the  man 
cried  out  as  if  in  much  excitement,  and  the 
woman  asked  them  gravely  when  they  had 
come  down  the  river. 

“ Last  night,”  replied  Moses. 

‘‘We  always  float  by  night  when  there 
is  a moon,”  Lewis  explained,  to  help  out 
Moses*  statement. 

“ Norah  ” interpreted,  and  the  man 
grew  even  more  excited. 

The  Irishwoman  fell  to  laughing. 
“ But,  sure,  his  honor  wants  to  know  how 
ye  got  by  the  fort.?**  she  said  to  the  boys. 

“‘Fort.?*  **  said  Moses,  inquiringly,  and 
looking  hard  at  Lewis.  “‘Fort?***  he  re- 
peated. “We  didn*t  see  any  fort** — which 
was  literally  true  ; there  was  too  much  fog. 

But  the  man  fairly  jumped  at  this 
reply,  and  sputtered  angrily. 

Little  wonder,  for  this  short,  dark  man 
268 


*^HOW  GOT  YE  BY  THE  FORT? 


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NEW  ORLEANS 


was  the  Spanish  intendant  of  New  Orleans, 
Senor  Morales  himself,  the  same  who  had 
ordered  the  embargo  ! He  had  chanced  to 
be  spending  the  night  at  the  up-river  house 
of  a French  creole  friend.  Doctor  Lecas- 
signe,  whose  children  our  youthful  arksmen 
had  found  in  the  orange-orchard.  That  an 
ark  had  floated  past  his  fortifications  and 
never  even  seen  them  was  not  flattering  to 
Senor  Morales’  pride! 

Doctor  Lecassigne,  a lean,  sallow  man, 
who  had  now  come  from  the  house,  sought 
to  soothe  the  irritation  of  his  distinguished 
guest.  Norah,  meanwhile,  was  asking  the 
boys  what  they  had  brought  in  their  ark 
and  what  they  had  seen  on  the  way. 

‘‘  Sure  I was  once  in  Philadelphia 
mesilf,”  she  said.  And  a fine,  brave 
gintlemon  was  Gin’ral  George  Washington ! 
Many’s  the  toime  I’ve  handed  him  his 
coffee.  Ah,  sure,”  she  added,  ‘‘I’ve  lived 
in  ivery  part  of  the  world.” 

269 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

The  boys  rather  liked  old  Norah. 
Lewis  told  her  of  their  nocturnal  battle 
with  the  alligators  ; and,  not  to  be  outdone, 
Moses  threw  in  an  account  of  his  Indian 
“Gobbler,”  and  the  great  bones  which  they 
had  brought  for  Doctor  Buchat. 

“Doctor  Buchat!”  cried  Norah.  “Sure, 
he  must  be  a frind  of  me  master  here,”  and 
she  spoke  to  Doctor  Lecassigne,  who  be- 
came interested  at  once. 

He  went  to  call  Sehor  Morales  again, 
and  immediately  they  both  expressed  a 
great  curiosity  to  see  the  bones.  The  boys, 
therefore,  led  the  way  back  to  the  river, 
where  the  ark  lay  moored. 

Jimmy  had  already  set  off  along  the 
levee  for  the  city;  but  Shadwell  Lincoln, 
who  had  as  usual  been  left  in  charge,  threw 
out  a plank  for  them  all  to  come  onboard. 
He  was  a good  deal  disturbed,  however, 
when  Lewis  whispered  to  him  that  the 
short,  dark  man  was  the  hated  intendant. 


270 


NEW  ORLEANS 


Of  the  mastodon  skeleton  on  the  ark 
roof,  there  still  remained  seven  or  eight  of 
the  long  ribs,  the  huge  skull,  femur  bones, 
one  long,  curved  tusk  and  many  of  the 
smaller  bones.  Both  Doctor  Lecassigne 
and  General  Morales  examined  them  in 
astonishment  at  their  enormous  size.  They 
sent  back  to  the  house  for  Norah  to  inter- 
pret, and  asked  a great  many  questions.  The 
intendant  seemed  now  to  forget  his  anger, 
and  assented  good-humoredly  when  Doctor 
Lecassigne  proposed  that  the  ark  should  be 
allowed  to  remain  there  till  he  could  send 
for  Doctor  Buchat,  who  seems  to  have  been 
a friend  of  both. 

Doctor  Lecassigne,  who  was  a very  ge- 
nial, kind-hearted  man,  went  into  the  cabin 
to  see  how  Marion  Royce  and  the  other 
sick  men  were  coming  on,  and  his  favorable 
report,  especially  of  the  captain,  gave  the 
utmost  relief  to  the  crew.  He  then  showed 
them  a better  place  to  moor  their  craft,  in 
271 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


a short  canal  which  opened  through  the 
levee  a little  way  below  his  house.  A 
water-gate  at  the  end  of  this  little  canal 
allowed  a stream  to  flow  from  the  level  of 
the  river  down  to  a mill  for  grinding  corn 
and  sawing  lumber.  There  were  numbers 
of  such  mills  along  the  levees,  the  mill- 
streams  flowing  out  of  the  river  instead  of 
into  it,  presenting  the  odd  spectacle  of  creeks 
flowing  backward  from  their  mouths  till  their 
waters  were  lost  in  the  swamps  at  a distance. 

When  Jimmy  returned  he  was  surprised 
and  a little  startled  to  learn  that  in  his  ab- 
sence they  had  had  Senor  Morales  for  a 
visitor.  The  intendant  had  already  returned 
to  the  city  in  his  barge;  but  Doctor  Le- 
cassigne  assured  them  that  although  the 
intendant  was  a somewhat  choleric  man 
and  inclined  to  narrow  political  views,  he 
would  probably  give  them  no  farther 
trouble,  particularly  if  they  were  to  send 
him  a present  of  a showy  horse. 

272 


NEW  ORLEANS 


This  overture  they  concluded,  rather  re- 
luctantly, tp  make;  and  since  Lewis  and 
Moses  had  seen  and  spoken  with  the  gen- 
eral, it  was  judged  best  that  they  should 
take  one  of  their  handsomest  animals  to  his 
house  in  the  city  that  very  afternoon. 

They  set  off,  accordingly,  leading  a large 
bay  horse — one  of  their  very  best.  Mean- 
while Doctor  Buchat  had  arrived  to  see 
his  long-expected  mammoth  bones,  which 
proved  even  bigger  than  he  had  been  told. 
But  his  disappointment  that  the  skeleton 
was  not  complete  was  keen,  and  he  was 
willing  to  pay  but  four  hundred  francs  for 
what  Marion  Royce  had  brought. 

The  New  Orleans  of  that  day  extended 
for  about  a mile  along  the  river-front,  and 
was  surrounded  on  the  back  or  land  side 
by  a ditch  or  moat,  filled  with  water,  and 
inside  this  ditch  by  a row  of  tall  pickets, 
consisting  of  cypress  logs  driven  into  the 
earth  close  together.  On  this  side,  leading 

273 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


out  into  the  back  country,  were  two  gates 
with  drawbridges;  on  the  levee  by  the 
water  there  was  another  gate,  both  above 
and  below  the  town. 

The  people  were  chiefly  French  and 
negroes,  with  a small  Spanish  and  American 
population,  and  the  number  of  inhabitants 
is  said  to  have  been  ten  thousand. 

At  each  gate  there  was  a battery  of 
cannon,  and  along  the  river-front  were  a 
number  of  larger  guns,  deemed  very  heavy 
ordnance  for  the  times.  Negro  slaves  did 
the  work  of  stevedores  along  the  levee. 
Several  hundreds  of  them  were  constantly 
to  be  seen  at  the  latter  place,  and  when  not 
at  work  the  rival  gangs  beguiled  the  time 
dancing,  singing,  and  sometimes  fighting 
pitched  battles.  It  was  all  very  novel  to 
Moses  and  Lewis — the  palisades,  the  can- 
non, the  drawbridges,  the  long  rows  of 
houses  and  the  gay  shops.  But,  although 
strangers,  they  experienced  little  difficulty 
274 


NEW  ORLEANS 


in  finding  the  intendant’s  house.  For,  on 
mentioning  his  name  to  a group  of  young 
darkies,  the  latter,  mightily  pleased  at  sight 
of  the  horse,  led  the  way  there  of  their  own 
accord. 

Senor  Morales  was  not  at  home,  how- 
ever, and  they  had  to  content  themselves 
with  giving  the  horse  in  charge  of  his  equer- 
ries, with  Captain  Royce’s  compliments. 
Their  errand  accomplished,  it  would  have 
been  better  if  they  had  returned  at  once ; 
but  they  wished  to  see  the  town,  and  set 
off  on  a long  tramp  through  the  streets. 

Even  in  1803,  with  a population  of 
only  ten  thousand.  New  Orleans  was  a gay 
and  picturesque  little  city.  Lewis  and 
Moses  found  so  much  to  see  that  the  shades 
of  evening  surprised  them  while  they  were 
still  wandering  along  the  streets. 

It  was  no  more  than  a mile  and  a half 
along  the  levee  to  the  ark,  however.  The 
boys  continued  on,  peeping  into  the  candle- 
275 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


lit  cabaretSy  coffee-houses  and  verandas, 
where  gaily  attired  people  were  talking, 
singing  and  playing. 

Presently,  however,  a serenOy  or  patrol, 
stopped  them,  on  account  of  their  pioneer 
dress,  perhaps,  and  said  a great  deal  which 
they  did  not  in  the  least  understand.  His 
tone  and  manner  were  so  censorious  that 
Moses  thought  they  had  better  turn  back. 
Accordingly  they  hastened  to  the  gate 
near  Fort  St.  Louis,  by  which  they  had 
entered,  but  found  it  shut.  A watch-fire 
burned  in  the  street  near  it,  and  a soldier 
in  uniform,  with  musket  and  bayonet,  was 
walking  up  and  down  before  it. 

As  they  drew  near  this  sentry,  he 
shouted:  Centinela  alerta!"'  at  the  top  of 

his  lungs — the  usual  fifteen-minute  cry  of  a 
Spanish  soldier  on  guard  duty. 

But  the  boys  thought  that  he  had 
shouted  to  them,  and  were  startled  by  his 
vehemence. 


276 


NEW  ORLEANS 


The  soldier  continued  on  his  beat,  but 
looked  hard  at  them  ; and  not  to  provoke 
him  into  shouting  like  that  again,  the  boys 
went  back  a little  way  to  see  what  would 
happen  next. 

Something  happened  immediately.  From 
out  a side  street  near  the  palisadoes  they 
heard  a little  bell  ringing,  and  saw  a queer 
procession  coming — two  tonsured  men  in 
black  robes,  who  bore  a black  banner  and 
a kind  of  a tray;  while  behind  them,  at  a 
rapid  pace,  trotted  four  or  five  attendants, 
each  carrying  a lantern.  Bringing  up  the 
rear  were  twelve  soldiers,  having  muskets 
and  bayonets  fixed. 

These,  most  likely,  were  Spanish  priests, 
proceeding  to  a military  execution.  Moses 
and  Lewis  were  apprehensive  lest  the  soldiers 
might  be  looking  for  them,  and  promptly 
scudded  to  the  cover  of  several  long  tiers  of 
molasses  hogsheads  on  the  levee. 

The  ominous  procession  passed,  how- 
277 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


ever;  and,  satisfied  now  that  they  were  not 
objects  of  pursuit,  Lewis  and  Moses  came 
out  from  their  hiding-place  and  followed. 
Walking  rapidly,  priests  and  soldiers  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Plaza  de  Armas  (now  Jackson 
Square),  passed  the  Cabildoy  aduana  and  bar- 
racks, and  went  to  the  calabozo^  or  prison, 
in  the  rear. 

Several  hundred  people  had  collected 
here,  and  there  were  also  numbers  of  soldiers 
and  three  serenos  with  torches.  Way  was 
made  for  the  strange  procession.  When  it 
stopped  before  the  prison  door  the  by- 
standers drew  back,  and  every  one  sank  on 
his  knees  with  bowed  head — every  one  ex- 
cept our  two  youthful  pioneers  from  the 
Ohio.  They  had  no  idea  what  it  was  all 
about,  and  simply  stood  still. 

Immediately  attention  was  attracted  to 
their  irreverent  attitude.  One  man  whis- 
pered to  them  brusquely,  and  attempted  to 
pull  Moses  down.  Not  understanding  a 
278 


NEW  ORLEANS 


word,  and  resenting  having  hands  laid  on 
him,  Moses  gave  him  a push.  The  stranger 
insisted.  Moses  pushed  him  headlong. 
Lewis,  too,  squared  about  to  assist  his  com- 
panion. Thereupon  two  soldiers  attempted 
to  seize  him.  Lewis  promptly  clinched 
with  the  one  nearest,  and  cross-locking  his  leg, 
threw  him  heavily  to  the  ground.  Moses, 
too,  proved  more  than  a match  for  the  other. 

Our  two  young  arksmen  broke  away 
and  ran  through  the  crowd,  shoving  the 
people  right  and  left.  But  a sereno  caught 
hold  of  Moses,  and  as  he  was  unable  to 
break  loose  again,  they  secured  him,  and 
with  many  threats  and  buffets,  hustled  him 
away  to  a circular  wooden  structure,  hard 
by  the  calabozo.  This  was  the  “little 
calabozo,’’  which  the  creoles  called  the 
“calaboose,”  answering  to  our  lockup,  or 
police-station.  Moses  was  thrust  in  with- 
out ceremony,  and  found  himself  in  very 
undesirable  company. 

279 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Lewis  meanwhile  had  broken  through 
the  crowd  and  started  off  at  a rapid  run. 
Several  soldiers,  serenos  and  others,  chased 
him  hotly,  and  shouted  savage  orders  after 
him  in  Spanish,  none  of  which  he  in  the 
least  comprehended. 

When  it  came  to  running,  Lewis  was 
quite  at  home ; they  could  not  catch 
him.  All  along  the  water-front  the  chase 
continued,  and  Lewis  was  getting  well  away 
when  he  came  to  the  palisadoes,  by  Fort 
St.  Louis,  where  they  projected  into  the 
river. 

Finding  himself  likely  to  be  cornered 
here,  he  was  about  to  double  back  on  his 
pursuers  when  he  saw  a number  of  skiffs 
drawn  up  in  a row.  To  shove  one  of  them 
off  was  but  the  work  of  an  instant.  There 
was  a paddle  in  it,  and  he  got  clear  of  the 
levee  before  the  serenos  could  reach  him. 
They  hailed  the  sentry  at  the  gate,  however, 
and  he,  running  up,  touched  off  his  gun. 

280 


NEW  ORLEANS 


But  by  this  time  Lewis  had  paddled  out 
past  a five-oared  galley  which  lay  near  the 
bank.  Keeping  outside  this  and  several 
other  craft  that  lay  crowded  along  the  levee, 
he  escaped  up-stream  and  returned  to  the  ark. 

Captain  Royce  was  disturbed  when  he 
learned  that  Moses  had  been  made  a pris- 
oner. He  knew  the  ways  of  the  Spanish 
authorities  well  enough  to  understand  that 
nothing  could  be  done  for  a captive  until 
the  following  day,  and  that  to  obtain  Moses’ 
release  was  a problem.  It  was  suggested 
that  the  best  method  of  procedure  would 
be  to  go  to  the  prefect,  or  alcalde^  the  next 
day,  with  a substantial  present. 

As  it  chanced,  however,  the  present  was 
not  needed.  Moses  succeeded  in  solving 
the  problem  himself.  He  found  himself  in 
disagreeable  company — ten  dirty  negroes, 
thieves  and  fighters,  some  of  them  intoxi- 
cated; a number  of  French  sailors,  a few 
Mexicans,  and  a pirate  or  two  from  below 
281 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


the  Belize.  This  motley  crew  received  him 
with  open  arms  and  a shout  of  sinister  wel- 
come. They  passed  him  round,  picked 
his  pocket,  and  even  tried  to  strip  him  of 
his  leather  jacket,  moccasins  and  coonskin 
cap. 

But  Moses  had  not  been  a fighter  all  his 
life  without  learning  something  of  the  sci- 
ence of  self-defense ; and  finding  that  he  was 
being  stripped,  he  hit  out  at  his  tormentors 
with  such  force  that  they  stood  away  from 
him,  objurgating  him  for  un  mauvais  Kain- 
tock.  Others  stole  upon  him  in  the  obscu- 
rity, and  for  an  hour  or  so  Moses  was  in 
his  natural  element. 

What  light  there  was  came  from  a lan- 
tern suspended  from  a peg  in  a wooden 
post  at  the  center  of  the  enclosure.  This 
post  apparently  supported  the  roof.  After 
a time  Moses  backed  against  it  and  stood 
there  on  the  defensive. 

As  the  night  advanced  many  of  the 
282 


NEW  ORLEANS 


prisoners  laydown  and  slept;  but  the  young 
arksman  leaned  against  the  post  listening  to 
all  that  went  on.  What  would  be  done 
with  him  in  the  morning  caused  him 
anxiety. 

The  lantern  went  out  at  last ; the 
candle  was  consumed ; and  after  a time  he 
caught  the  twinkle  of  a star  through  a 
chink  in  the  roof  of  the  building.  It  was 
near  the  top  of  the  post,  and  led  the  boy  to 
think  that  the  roof  was  not  very  thick  or 
strong  there.  He  was  accustomed  to  climb- 
ing trees  ; it  occurred  to  him  that  he  might 
break  out,  and  he  clasped  the  post  with  his 
arms  and  shinned  ” up. 

He  had  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  to  climb 
before  his  head  bumped  into  the  roof.  It 
did  not  feel  very  solid,  and  pressing  his 
head  up  against  it,  he  began  giving  upward 
pushes,  grasping  the  post  hard  and  jumping 
up.  One  of  the  covering  boards  yielded, 
and  reaching  up  with  one  hand,  he  pushed 
283 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


it  aside,  got  his  head  through  the  hole, 
and  then  climbed  out  on  the  roof. 

His  operations  had  created  a hubbub 
among  his  fellow  prisoners  below;  clods 
and  old  bones  flew  about  his  legs,  but  he 
could  hear  no  stir  outside.  So,  sliding 
down  to  the  eaves  of  the  calaboose  at  the 
back — for  he  thought  there  was  a sentry  at 
the  gate — he  swung  off,  dropped  to  the 
ground,  and  decamped  forthwith. 

He  ran  out  toward  the  levee.  A sereno, 
with  his  lantern,  was  walking  to  and  fro ; 
but  Moses  easily  kept  away  from  him,  and 
stealing  along  the  encumbered  levee  up- 
stream, came  to  the  palisadoes  by  the  fort, 
as  Lewis  had  done  earlier  in  the  night. 

The  row  of  skiffs  here  attracted  his 
attention,  and  deeming  his  own  need  great, 
he  was  not  slow  in  appropriating  one.  The 
river  current  was  so  strong,  however,  that 
he  was  fully  two  hours  paddling  the  skiff 
against  it,  up  to  the  ark.  Day  was  break- 
284 


NEW  ORLEANS 


ing  as  he  reached  it.  Thus  ended  the  two 
boys’  first  visit  to  the  Crescent  City  in  1803. 
The  skiffs  were  returned  to  their  places 
that  afternoon. 

The  weather  was  hot;  fevers  prevailed, 
and  Marion  Royce  had  not  recovered 
enough  to  dispose  of  his  cargo.  A great 
number  of  arks,  flatboats  and  other  up-river 
craft,  came  down  to  the  city.  The  water- 
front of  the  ‘‘  American  quarter  ” for  a 
mile  was  crowded  with  boats,  and  the  town 
was  so  thronged  with  frontiersmen  that  the 
Spaniards  had  difficulty  in  maintaining  even 
the  semblance  of  law  and  order. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Sehor  Morales’ 
reluctance  to  have  American  craft  make 
New  Orleans  their  market  was  not  wholly 
unreasonable.  The  little  city  was  in 
turmoil  night  and  day.  Roisterers  were  no 
sooner  arrested  and  put  in  the  little  calabozo 
than  a mob  of  their  fellows  collected  and 
set  them  free.  At  last,  to  save  themselves 
285 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


further  trouble,  the  boatmen  pulled  the 
little  calaboose  down.  They  were  so 
numerous  and  aggressive  that  the  Spanish 
dared  not  interfere  with  them  in  earnest,  lest 
they  should  take  full  possession  of  the  town. 

The  wide-awake  French  population 
had  grown  very  restless.  These  people  had 
little  fondness  for  the  Spaniards,  and  ardently 
longed  for  the  appearance  of  the  French 
fleet.  Equally  they  disliked  the  frontiers- 
men. “ Napoleon  will  make  you  hop  very 
soon,”  they  said  to  the  Americans  in  the 
creole  “gombo,”  or  patois,  ‘‘General 
Victor  is  already  at  sea.  When  he  arrives 
you  will  all  toe  the  mark.” 

Doctor  Lacassigne  and  Doctor  Buchat 
remained  Marion  Royce’s  warm  friends, 
however.  The  ark  had  not  moved  from 
its  berth  in  the  canal  near  the  plantation 
house  of  the  former.  Here,  too,  they 
often  saw  Senor  Morales,  and  once  met  the 
aged  Governor  Salcedo. 

286 


NEW  ORLEANS 


News  had  already  come  that  Spain  had 
ceded  West  Florida  and  Louisiana  to 
France.  The  Spaniards  were  merely  await- 
ing the  arrival  of  French  officials  and  a 
garrison.  The  creoles  had  grand  anticipa- 
tions of  what  New  Orleans  would  be  as  the 
capital  of  the  new  French  empire. 

In  point  of  fact  there  had  been  another 
and  more  extraordinary  change.  President 
Jefferson  had  commissioned  Livingstone 
and  Monroe  to  buy  New  Orleans  and  a small 
strip  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 
But,  while  the  negotiations  were  under  way 
in  Paris,  Napoleon  changed  his  mind.  Sud- 
denly, through  Talleyrand,  he  offered  the 
whole  of  Louisiana  to  the  Americans,  and 
the  offer  was  finally  accepted.  The  sale 
had  already  been  made — April  30th,  1803. 

Even  after  the  news  of  the  sale  arrived, 
the  people  would  not  credit  it.  ‘‘  Napoleon 
never  gives  up  anything,”  they  said.  ‘‘  His 
fleet  will  come  at  Christmas.” 

287 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


But  this  was  one  of  the  cases  where 
Napoleon  gave  up  something.  He  dared 
not  send  a fleet  to  New  Orleans,  for  the 
reason  that  England,  with  whom  he  was 
at  war,  had  a stronger  fleet  than  his  in  the 
West  Indian  waters. 

On  November  30th  the  banner  of 
Spain  was  lowered  for  the  last  time  at  the 
Cabildo,  and  the  tricolor  of  France  went 
up  in  its  place.  But  the  sight  of  it 
brought  little  joy  to  the  creoles,  for  the 
rumor  of  the  transfer  of  Louisiana  to  the 
United  States  was  now  confirmed. 

The  French  were  taking  possession 
merely  to  legalize  the  transfer.  General 
Victor  and  the  fleet  were  not  coming. 

As  the  Spanish  troops  were  now  with- 
drawn, and  the  French  representative  had 
no  troops  with  him  to  police  the  city,  law- 
lessness would  have  held  full  sway  if  the 
arksmen  and  rivermen  had  not  offered  their 
services  to  M.  Laussat,  and,  forming  a vol- 
288 


NEW  ORLEANS 


unteer  company,  patrolled  the  streets  day 
and  night,  in  armed  bands.  These  were 
stirring  times  for  the  arksmen  from  Fish 
Creek.  Marion  was  about  again,  and 
Jimmy  was  everywhere  in  evidence,  jeal- 
ously guarding  the  city  as  if  he  were  its 
sole  custodian  until  the  arrival  of  the 
American  commissioners,  Wilkinson  and 
Claiborne.  He  knew,  now,  that  the  letter 
he  had  carried  so  long  had  held  the  first 
intimation  to  the  governor  that  he  would 
be  chosen,  in  case  the  purchase  was  success- 
fully brought  about,  to  receive  it  from 
France.  To  whom  the  letter  was  addressed, 
Jimmy  never  knew  ; but  it  was  evidently  to 
some  close  personal  friend  of  the  President’s 
and  the  young  Governor  of  Mississippi. 

City  life  had  made  some  change  in 
Jimmy’s  appearance.  He  had  taken  the 
governor’s  hint  and  visited  the  barber.  His 
own  heart  was  so  jubilant  that  he  marveled 
at  the  despair  of  the  creoles.  Women,  and 
289 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


even  men,  were  seen  weeping  in  the  shops 
and  doorways.  To  them  this  transfer  was 
but  one  more  mocking  irony  of  fate. 

The  time  fixed  for  the  entrance  of  the 
commissioners  and  the  American  troops  was 
Tuesday,  December  20  ; but  the  great  event 
began  for  Jimmy  the  evening  before,  when, 
walking  out  by  the  Gate  of  France  to  the 
ark,  he  met  Governor  Claiborne  and  the 
French  commissioner,  M.  Laussat,  return- 
ing on  horseback  from  a visit  to  one  of  the 
plantations. 

‘‘  By  Jupiter,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  I 
see  my  young  cousin  from  up  the  Ohio,” 
exclaimed  the  governor,  reining  in  his 
horse.  ‘‘  Monsieur  Laussat,  permit  me  to 
present  a young  kinsman  of  mine  from  the 
West.” 

He  turned  to  his  companion,  and  at  that 
moment  a bullet  whizzed  past  his  head. 
Turning  back  quickly,  he  saw  that  Jimmy’s 
upflung  hand  had  caught  the  wrist  of  a 
290 


NEW  ORLEANS 


swarthy  little  creole.  The  pistol  fell  from 
the  creole’s  hand. 

“ You  would,  would  you?  ” said  Jimmy, 
pinning  him,  now  that  he  was  unarmed,  and 
taking  him  by  the  throat.  “ What  shall  I 
do  with  him,  sir  ? He  tried  to  shoot  you!  ” 

The  governor  looked  down  at  the  dark- 
skinned  little  partisan  who  had  tried  to  kill 
him.  ‘‘He  seems  to  have  no  love  for  the 
idea  of  an  American  occupation,”  he  said. 
“ I hope  the  city  isn’t  full  of  such  patriot- 
ism for  France.  Let  him  go,  cousin.  My 
friend,”  he  added  to  the  creole,  “ if  you 
were  as  good  an  American  as  you  are  a 
Frenchman,  I would  like  to  have  a thou- 
sand of  you  at  my  back.  As  it  is,  I will 
ask  you  to  walk  in  front  of  us  ; is  it  not  so, 
M.  Laussat  ? ” 

To  Jimmy  he  held  out  his  hand.  “You 
are  always  goodness  itself,”  he  said.  “ You 
will  come  to  me  to-morrow  at  the  Cabildo  ?” 

“ Thank  you,”  murmured  Jimmy.  But 
291 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


he  had  no  idea  of  doing  so.  He  and  th^ 
volunteer  company  would  have  their  hands 
full  in  the  Place  d'Armes,  preserving  order. 

Next  morning  the  American  troops 
approached  in  order  of  battle,  to  be  received 
by  the  Spanish  troops  at  the  city  gates. 
They  were  escorted  to  the  Cabildo,  where 
the  keys  of  the  city  were  handed  to  Clai- 
borne, and  the  people  were  absolved  by 
Laussat  from  allegiance  to  the  French 
Consul.  Commissioner  Claiborne  then 
welcomed  them  as  citizens  of  the  United 
States.  The  commissioners  then  passed  out 
into  one  of  the  balconies  and  looked  down 
on  the  cheering  crowds  that  gazed  up  at 
them  from  the  Place  d’Armes.  No  other 
fanatic  attempted  to  kill  the  representative 
of  the  new  government,  but  Jimmy,  among 
his  volunteers,  watched  anxiously,  as  if  the 
safety  of  the  young  man  in  the  gallery 
depended  upon  him  alone. 

Slowly  the  tricolor  of  France  was 
292 


p 


IN  ITS  PLACE  ROSE  THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES 


Page  2gs 


NEW  ORLEANS 


lowered,  and  the  Stars  and  Stripes  raised 
until  they  met  midway  of  the  flagstaff  and 
were  saluted.  Then  the  flag  of  the  United 
States  rose,  to  the  accompaniment  of  a great 
cheer  from  thousands  of  boatmen  and 
soldiers,  and  New  Orleans  was  an  American 
city  for  all  future  time. 

With  the  transfer  came  the  hoped-for 
improvement.  Within  three  weeks  Captain 
Royce  was  able  to  dispose  of  nearly  every- 
thing at  fair  rates,  even  to  the  old  ark  itself, 
in  which  they  had  come  so  far.  Its  sound 
oak  planks  went  to  repair  the  gun  platforms 
and  casemates  at  Fort  St.  Charles.  And 
for  little  more  than  he  received  for  these, 
Marion  Royce  had  an  opportunity  to  pur- 
chase a small  ‘‘  keel  ” boat  of  fifteen- tons 
burden  for  the  homeward  voyage. 

A difficulty  now  rose,  however.  The 
horse-gear  for  the  paddle-wheels,  which 
they  had  brought  for  the  return  trip  up  the 
river,  was  too  heavy  for  the  keel.  It  re- 
293 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


quired  six  horses,  walking  round  on  a kind 
of  gallery,  to  operate  the  transverse  shaft  to 
which  the  paddle-wheels  were  attached. 
The  keel  was  too  narrow  for  a six-horse 
‘‘  circuit.’’ 

Horse-boats  were  not  uncommon  on  the 
Mississippi  in  those  days ; but  most,  if  not 
all,  of  these  devices  consisted  of  a large 
horizontal  wheel,  round  which  the  horses 
walked,  as  sailors  walk  round  a capstan,  the 
horizontal  wheel  being  connected  by  cog- 
gear  to  the  shaft  beneath,  which  carried 
the  two  paddle-wheels. 

Marion  Royce  now  set  his  wits  at  work 
to  devise  something  lighter  and  less  cum- 
brous, adapted  to  his  small  keel.  His  two 
good  friends.  Doctor  Lacassigne  and  Doctor 
Buchat,  were  much  interested,  and  spent 
several  days  studying  the  problem  with 
him. 

But  a Yankee  sea-captain,  named  Grover, 
who  chanced  to  be  in  port  with  his  Boston 
294 


NEW  ORLEANS 


brig,  had  the  honor  of  suggesting  to  them 
a horse-power  of  the  treadmill  type,  such  as 
is  now  so  commonly  used  for  thrashing 
grain  and  sawing  wood,  where  the  weight 
of  the  horses,  climbing  on  ‘‘  lags,”  propels 
the  saw,  or  the  “ separator.” 

At  a ‘‘  smithy  ” boat  which  had  come 
down  the  river,  our  arksmen  had  such  a 
horse-power  made  for  them,  and  placed  it 
low  in  the  keel,  amidships.  The  two 
paddle-wheels  were  attached  to  the  topmost 
axle  of  the  ‘‘  lags  ” wheel,  up  the  incline  of 
which  two  horses  walked  abreast. 

A week  or  more  was  occupied  in  ma- 
king and  adjusting  the  new  gear,  and  there 
were  many  doubts  as  to  its  success ; but  on 
trial  it  was  found  that  two  horses  were  able 
to  propel  this  light  keel-boat  against  the 
river  current  at  the  rate  of  about  four  miles 
an  hour.  It  was  necessary,  however,  to 
have  two  spare  horses.  Four  of  their 
horses  were  reserved  for  this  purpose. 

295 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


They  still  had  the  pet  bear,  which  had 
come  to  them  so  unexpectedly.  Captain 
Royce  had  supposed  that  they  might  fall  in 
with  its  former  owners  at  New  Orleans. 

Moses,  who  still  laid  claim  to  the  ani- 
mal, had  hopes  of  trading  it  for  a rifle. 
But  Doctor  Buchat  had  taken  a fancy  to 
the  bear,  and  named  him  ‘‘  Napoleon,’’  and 
Captain  Royce  wished  to  give  him  to  the 
genial  Frenchman,  who  had  repeatedly 
helped  them. 

Moses  demurred  to  this;  and  the  doc- 
tor, perceiving  how  matters  stood  with  the 
boy,  oflFered  him  a pair  of  antique,  silver- 
mounted  dueling  pistols  for  his  pet — not 
a very  suitable  present  for  a boy,  but  the 
only  thing  he  could  give. 

The  pistols  were  long-barreled  old  flint- 
locks, provided  with  “ hair  ” triggers,  and 
Moses  was  much  elated.  After  a discus- 
sion, however,  he  reluctantly  consented  to 
give  Lewis  one  of  them  ; and  this  burning 
296 


NEW  ORLEANS 


question  being  at  last  settled,  the  two  boys 
set  off  to  take  Napoleon  to  Doctor  Buchat’s 
house,  which  was  on  Good-Children  Street, 
beyond  the  French  market. 

They  confined  the  bear’s  mouth  in  a 
strong  muzzle  and  led  him  by  his  chain. 
Wistar  Royce  went  along  with  them  to 
lend  a hand,  in  case  of  need,  and  to  carry 
in  a bag  two  vertebrae  of  the  mastodon, 
which  were  overlooked  in  the  hold  of  the 
ark  when  the  rest  of  the  skeleton  was  hauled 
to  the  doctor’s  house. 

Captain  Royce  had  that  day  given  each 
arksman  his  share  of  the  proceeds  of  the  voy- 
age; and  John  Kenton,  Clark  MacAfee  and 
Merrick  also  went  along  with  the  boys,  bent 
on  celebrating  the  occasion  at  the  ‘‘Sure  Enuf 
Hotel,”  kept  by  a tremendously  stout  pioneer 
woman,  known  as  “Old  Ma’am  Colby.” 
This  was  a place  of  common  resort  for  flat- 
boatmen,  and  was  in  a locality  called  “The 
Swamp,”  at  the  farther  end  of  Girod  Street. 

297 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


But  the  three  boys  went  on  with  their 
bear  past  the  American  quarter,  and  entered 
the  city  proper  by  the  Tchoupitoulas 
gate. 

There  chanced  to  be  a festival  in  prog- 
ress, which,  judging  from  the  date,  may 
have  been  ‘‘King’s  day,”  a fete  celebrated 
by  the  negroes  with  songs  and  dances. 

A group  of  shouting  youngsters  set  upon 
the  boys,  pelting  them  with  little  bags  con- 
taining sugar  and  rice,  also  dust  and  snuff, 
that  caused  boisterous  sneezing.  The  revelers 
began  chanting  an  improvised  song  about 
les  jeunes  Kaintocks.  This  may  have  been 
good-natured  chaff,  but  our  young  arksmen 
did  not  like  it;  no  more  did  Napoleon, 
who  was  distressed  by  sneezing  with  a 
muzzle  on  his  nose. 

They  got  away  from  this  first  group  of 
roisterers,  and  hastened  toward  the  doctor’s 
house ; but  near  the  market  they  encountered 
a greater  and  much  more  formidable  crowd, 
298 


NEW  ORLEANS 


in  fantastic  dress,  wearing  masks  and  bear- 
ing grotesque  effigies  aloft  on  poles. 

To  eyes  unused  to  such  parades,  the 
spectacle  was  a startling  one.  The  maskers 
wore  all  sorts  of  frightful  head-gear — cocks' 
heads,  with  huge  red  combs  and  bills  a 
foot  long,  lions'  heads  and  tigers'  heads, 
bulls'  heads  and  dogs'  heads,  Indians,  croco- 
diles, serpents  with  forked  tongues;  and 
all  were  crowing,  growling,  bellowing, 
barking,  whooping  and  hissing,  with  an 
added  chorus  from  scores  of  horns  and 
conch-shells.  The  uproar,  indeed,  was 
incredible.  In  this  fantastic  mob  our  young 
friends  found  themselves  suddenly  engulfed, 
and  became  objects  of  most  undesirable 
attention. 

Miraa  los  Kaintock  malos  ! " (Look  at 
these  Yankee  rascals  !)  cried  a tipsy  Spanish 
sailor,  and  immediately  an  eddy  of  maskers 
circled  round  them,  bawling  forth  a song 
then  much  in  vogue  : — 


299 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

‘‘  ' Meric ain  coquin. 

Bilk  en  nanquin, 

Voleur  du  pain, 

Chez  Miche  d' A quin!'' 

which,  freely  translated,  signifies  that  the 
‘‘Americans’*  are  rogues  who  dress  in 
homespun,  steal  bread  from  the  bake-shop, 
and  are  all  jail-birds  ! This  was  not  com- 
plimentary— if  the  boys  had  understood  it. 

They  cared  less  for  abusive  songs,  how- 
ever, than  for  the  horns  that  blared  in  their 
faces,  and  two  “ Indians”  who  danced  about 
them,  brandishing  tomahawks.  When 
Lewis  and  Moses  caught  sight  of  these 
pseudo-savages  they  made  ready  for  trouble. 


300 


CHAPTER  XIII 


VIVE  NAPOLEON  ! ” 

[E  boys  had  never  seen 
anything  like  this  before 
— such  horrible  heads  and 
faces — or  heard  such  a 
din.  The  tightly-muz- 
zled ‘‘  Napoleon  ” rose 
on  his  haunches,  rolling 
his  eyes  wildly  round. 
Accustomed  to  play  with 
the  arksmen,  he  was  not  much  afraid  of 
anybody ; but  now  he  attempted  to  bolt. 
The  boys  held  him  with  difficulty. 

They  still  thought  that  it  was  probably 
‘‘fun.’'  But  when  those  two  “redskins” 
rushed  toward  them  with  tomahawks  they 
were  alarmed,  the  whoops  were  so  ugly, 
the  hatchets  looked  so  wicked  ! Out  came 
Moses’  old  dueling  pistol,  which — like  a 
301 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


boy — he  had  taken  with  him  under  his 
deerskin  smock. 

Lewis’  hands  were  so  wound  in  the 
bear’s  chain  that  he  could  not  draw  his ; but 
Wistar,  with  his  heavy  bag  of  mammoth 
back-bones,  gave  one  “ Indian”  a smash” 
over  the  head  that  felled  him. 

Fortunately  for  Moses,  trouble  with  the 
hair-trigger  resulted  in  his  discharging  the 
pistol  harmlessly  into  the  ground. 

But  the  fracas  now  began  in  earnest, 
and  it  might  have  ended  badly  for  our 
young  Kaintocks  had  not  a loud  laugh  been 
heard  and  a high-pitched  but  powerful 
voice  bawled  in  a queer  mixture  of  Spanish 
and  French:  Paz  ! PaZy  mes  enfant s I 

PaZy  mes  petits ! — ‘‘Peace!  Peace,  my 
children!  ” 

This  timely  outcry  came  from  a ve- 
randa close  at  hand,  where  a stout  old  priest 
in  a brown  gown,  and  a tall,  dark  man, 
wearing  a military  cloak,  stood  watching 
302 


‘‘VIVE  NAPOLEON! 


the  revelers.  Immediately  the  former  came 
through  the  throng,  stretching  out  his  arms, 
pushing  them  all  aside  as  if  they  were  in 
very  truth  his  “ children.”  His  big,  kind 
face  shone  in  the  torchlight  like  a benevolent 
gargoyle,  and  his  voice  was  as  oil  on  angry 
waves. 

“ Paz  ! Paz  / ” he  murmured,  sooth- 
ingly, in  that  odd  jumble  of  French  and 
Andalusian.  “ No  sangre  I Podos  de  bon 
coeur  I ” 

With  his  hands  he  patted  one  after 
another,  even  Napoleon,  who  snuffed  him 
thoughtfully  through  his  muzzle. 

Beyond  doubt  this  was  kind  old  “ Pere 
Antoine y'  who,  for  forty  years,  was  so 
amiable  and  ubiquitous  a figure  in  the  New 
Orleans  of  those  early  days  ; “ Pere  Antoine 
cheriy  whom,  although  he  was  a Spaniard 
by  birth,  the  creoles  loved  to  adoration ; the 
brown-gowned  old  Capuchin  who  married 
all  the  young  couples,  white,  black  and 

303 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


yellow,  and  christened  all  their  children  as 
fast  as  they  came  into  the  world ; who 
heard  and  sympathized  with  them  in  all 
their  troubles,  griefs  and  sins. 

He  was  the  unselfish,  incorruptible 
guardian  and  lover  of  the  city’s  poor,  who 
handled  alms-money  by  the  hundredweight, 
but  lived  in  a little  hut  in  the  suburbs  and 
slept  on  two  bare  boards  ; who  used  to  have 
a great  brown  leather  bag  at  his  girdle  for 
a purse,  often  so  full  by  mid-week  of  vol- 
untary silver  and  gold  that,  big  as  he  was, 
he  could  hardly  carry  it,  yet  always  quite 
empty — such  was  his  charity — by  Sunday 
evening  ; the  cher  Daddy  Antoine  ” of  the 
street  gamins,  who  tagged  after  him  for  his 
blessing  and  lagniappe — and  never  failed  to 
get  both. 

The  dark  man  in  the  military  cloak, 
who  laughed  so  heartily  at  the  warlike 
attitude  of  the  three  youngsters  in  coonskin 
caps,  was  Senor  Casa  Calvo,  the  Spanish 

304 


VIVE  NAPOLEON!’* 


commissioner,  who  continued  to  live  in 
New  Orleans  after  the  transfer  of  the  ter- 
ritory to  the  United  States. 

Feeling  sure,  from  his  kindly  face  and 
the  respect  accorded  him  by  the  revelers, 
that  they  had  made  a friend  worthy  of  con- 
fidence, the  boys  spoke  to  the  priest  of 
Doctor  Buchat,  and  by  signs  gave  him  to 
understand  that  they  were  taking  the  bear 
to  his  house.  Wistar  also  showed  him  the 
two  huge  vertebra. 

So  greatly  piqued  was  their  curiosity, 
that  both  the  priest  and  Sefior  Calvo  accom- 
panied the  boys  to  Doctor  Buchat’s  house. 
So  much  animated  talk  ensued  over  the 
mammoth  skeleton  that  it  was  not  till  late 
in  the  evening  that  the  good  doctor  found 
quarters  for  Napoleon — so  late,  indeed,  that 
the  old  naturalist  kept  his  youthful  visitors 
overnight  and  to  breakfast  on  the  following 
morning. 

This  was  the  boys’  last  trip  to  the  city, 

305 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


for  that  day  Captain  Royce  had  completed 
his  preparations  for  the  long  voyage  up  the 
river,  not  forgetting  numerous  presents  for 
the  people  at  home.  Wistar,  Charlie  Hoyt 
and  Lewis,  who  had  saved  their  profits 
from  the  venture,  also  bought  similar  gifts. 

Of  Kenton,  MacAfee  and  Corson  less 
kindly  mention  can  be  made.  Like  many 
other  arksmen  of  those  times,  they  had 
squandered  much  of  their  money  at  saloons 
and  gaming-places  in  “ The  Swamp  ’’ ; and 
becoming  much  dissatisfied,  they  determined 
to  quit  their  more  prosperous  comrades,  and 
go  home  on  foot  through  the  wilderness,  by 
the  ‘‘Natchez  trail.” 

Putting  together  what  they  had  left 
from  their  dissipations,  they  bought  a horse 
and  set  off,  Corson  first  riding  for  two 
hours,  then  hitching  the  horse  beside  the 
path,  and  going  on  afoot.  When  Kenton 
and  MacAfee  came  up,  MacAfee  mounted 
and  rode  for  two  hours,  then  left  the  horse 
306 


“VIVE  NAPOLEON!*’ 


hitched  for  Kenton,  who  was  coming  on 
behind.  By  the  time  Kenton  had  ridden 
two  hours  he  usually  overtook  Corson,  who 
then  took  his  second  turn.  This  was  termed 
“whipsaw  traveling,”  and  must  have  been 
hard  for  the  poor  horse. 

They  expected  to  reach  home  in  thirty- 
eight  days,  and  long  in  advance  of  their 
former  comrades  on  the  “horse-boat.” 
Captain  Royce  sent  a message  home  by 
them,  and  also  a letter  to  Milly  Ayer. 

He  had  previously  sent  word  home 
by  two  Cincinnati  boats ; neither  of  which, 
however,  had  been  able  to  forward  the 
message.  Nor  did  the  word  or  letter  sent 
by  Corson  and  his  companions  come  to 
hand,  for  the  three  arksmen  never  reached 
the  settlement  on  the  Ohio  ; what  became 
of  them  is  not  known.  Savages  or  outlaws 
may  have  murdered  them ; or,  owing  to 
dissatisfaction,  they  may  have  gone  to 
“ East  Florida  ” or  the  Carolinas  to  live. 


307 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


The  Milly  Ayer^  as  her  youthful  captain 
had  chivalrously  christened  their  new  keel- 
boat,  was  not  ready  to  leave  New  Orleans 
for  the  homeward  voyage  until  January 
24th;  and  still  another  day  was  lost,  wait- 
ing for  a passenger  who  had  offered  Cap- 
tain Royce  a hundred  and  fifty  dollars  to 
be  taken  to  St.  Louis. 

This  passenger  was  none  other  than  the 
waggish  Lieutenant  Charles  Grimsby,  who 
is  supposed  to  have  carried  a despatch  from 
General  Wilkinson  to  Captain  Amos  Stod- 
dard, the  first  American  governor  of  St. 
Louis.  Captain  Stoddard,  however,  did 
not  assume  the  duties  of  office  until  the 
I oth  of  March  following. 

The  French  settlers  of  St.  Louis,  indeed, 
were  still  in  ignorance  of  the  sale  and  trans- 
fer of  the  Mississippi  Valley  to  the  United 
States,  and  the  horse-boat  of  our  young 
arksmen  was  destined  to  bring  them  the 
first  positive  intelligence  of  this  event.  Like 
308 


‘‘VIVE  NAPOLEON! 


the  creoles  at  New  Orleans,  they  were 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  a French  army  to 
take  possession  of  the  country  in  the  mighty 
name  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 

On  the  morning  of  the  arksmen’s  de- 
parture— January  25th— an  old  acquaint- 
ance returned  in  great  haste  and  jumped 
aboard  the  boat,  resolutely  bent  on  rejoin- 
ing his  former  messmates.  This  was  none 
other  than  Napoleon,  the  pet  black  bear, 
whom  they  had  presented  to  Doctor 
Buchat. 

When  first  seen  by  Lewis,  the  bear  was 
coming  back  at  a clumsy  gallop  up  the 
levee,  dragging  his  chain  and  pursued  by  a 
hundred  young  darkies,  who  were  hastening 
his  flight  with  stones  and  clods.  Instinct, 
or  keen  scent,  had  brought  him  to  the 
Milly  Ayer.  He  leaped  aboard,  whimpering 
from  mingled  fear  and  gladness  at  recogniz- 
ing his  old  friends  of  the  ark. 

But  they,  truth  to  say,  did  not  want  him. 

309 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

Word  was  at  once  sent  to  Doctor  Buchat. 
It  then  transpired  that  the  worthy  savant  ot 
Good-Children  Street  was  not  desirous  of 
recovering  him  ; in  fact,  the  doctor  begged 
that  Captain  Royce  would  make  some  other 
disposition  of  the  animal.  He  had  turned 
cross  in  his  new  surroundings,  and  had 
been  near  devouring  one  of  the  doctor’s 
maid  servants. 

Shadwell  Lincoln  suggested  a rifle-ball 
as  offering  an  easy  way  out  of  the  difficulty, 
but  Moses  and  Lewis  would  not  hear  of 
this.  They  still  retained  an  affection  for 
their  former  pet. 

Finally,  since  the  bear  was  aboard  and 
objected  strenuously  to  going  ashore.  Lieu- 
tenant Grimsby  proposed  that  he  should 
take  him  to  St.  Louis  as  a present  to  the 
new  governor;  and  with  this  destination  in 
view,  Napoleon  began  his  return  voyage  up 
the  Mississippi. 

At  last  the  long  voyage  began.  The 
310 


«VIVE  NAPOLEON!’* 


horses  were  fresh,  the  gear  worked  well, 
and  the  little  craft  plowed  her  way  gallantly 
up  the  river,  making  fairly  good  time  for 
many  days,  with  few  accidents. 

Besides  Lieutenant  Grimsby,  and  Napo- 
leon, twelve  still  remained  from  the  crew 
of  seventeen,  which  gave  four  shifts  of  three 
men  each  for  duty — the  lookout,  the  steers- 
man, and  the  driver  for  the  two  horses. 

Wary  in  all  matters  that  touched  the 
safety  of  his  boat.  Captain  Royce  had  pro- 
tected the  horse-power  on  each  side  with 
thick  planks,  that  no  Indian  or  outlaw  bullet 
might  disable  his  team  when  at  work.  The 
stalls  aft,  where  the  resting  animals  stood, 
as  also  the  cabin  for  the  crew,  were  like- 
wise covered  in. 

Twelve  hours  a day  was  the  usual  travel- 
ing time.  They  then  tied  up  to  the  bank 
for  the  night,  at  some  point  chosen  with 
an  eye  for  defense  and  shelter. 

Commanded  with  such  sagacity  and 

311 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


prudence,  the  Milly  Ayer  reached  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Ohio  with  the  Mississippi  on 
February  22nd,  having  lost  but  four  days, 
which  had  been  spent  in  fishing  and  hunting 
to  replenish  the  food  supply,  and  in  forag- 
ing for  the  horses. 

Here  for  once  Marion  Royce  seems  to 
have  departed  from  his  usual  rule  of  care- 
fully avoiding  quarrels.  He  had  never  for- 
given the  brutal  assault  upon  Corson  at 
‘‘Cairo.”  Corson’s  sightless  eye  had  been 
a constant  reminder  of  the  indignity. 

The  evening  they  reached  the  confluence 
of  the  rivers  it  was  agreed  to  give  Cairo  a 
surprise.  We  are  at  liberty  to  surmise,  how- 
ever, that  the  waggish  Lieutenant  Grimsby 
had  something  to  do  with  this  practical 
joke.  His  record  afterward  would  seem  to 
justify  such  a conjecture. 

During  the  small  hours  of  the  night, 
after  the  thin  mists  began  to  rise  from  the 
river  and  lowlands,  the  Milly  Ayer^  using  its 
312 


‘‘VIVE  NAPOLEON!” 


sweeps  instead  of  the  horse-power,  ap- 
proached where  the  big  “broadhorn” — 
which  still  sheltered  Cairo  and  its  queer 
population — lay  moored  to  the  muddy  bank. 
Charlie  Hoyt  then  quietly  boarded  it  from 
the  skiff. 

At  that  hour  every  one  appeared  to  be 
asleep.  Stepping  aboard  cautiously,  Hoyt 
first  secured  his  skiff,  then  made  one  end  of 
a hawser,  which  he  had  brought  along,  fast 
to  the  foot  of  a stanchion.  This  done,  he 
crept  along  the  shoreward  rail,  and  with  a 
large,  sharp  knife,  severed  the  two  old 
cables  which  held  Cairo  to  the  shore ; then 
decamped  in  the  skiff  as  silently  as  he  had 
come,  paying  out  the  hawser. 

This  was  some  three  hundred  feet  in 
length,  and  as  soon  as  Hoyt  got  back  to  the 
keel  he  and  his  friends  made  the  other  end  fast 
inboard,  poled  off  from  the  bank,  and  then, 
heading  down-stream  again,  set  the  horses  at 
work  with  a free  application  of  the  whip. 

313 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


The  Ohio  was  then  rising,  and  the  old 
broadhorn  was  afloat  at  its  moorings.  Yield- 
ing slowly  to  the  pull  from  the  horse-boat, 
it  floated  out  and  away — as  a coal  barge  is 
towed  by  a tug. 

In  great  but  silent  glee,  our  boatmen 
touched  up  their  horses.  They  meant  to 
tow  Cairo  down  into  the  Mississippi,  then 
cut  adrift  and  let  it  go  on  a voyage  of  dis- 
covery. 

Before  they  had  gone  far,  however, 
somebody  waked  up.  First  there  were 
drowsy  shouts  astern,  then  louder  ones  and 
more  of  them,  and  then  indeed  pande- 
monium broke  loose  on  the  old  craft. 
Lights  glimmered  in  the  misty  darkness 
and  candles  were  seen  dodging  to  and  fro. 
And  now,  hearing  the  clatter  of  the  horse- 
power and  the  noise  of  the  paddles  from 
the  keel,  the  Cairoese  began  hailing  vigor- 
ously, to  learn  what  was  the  matter. 

“Ho,  the  barge  ! ” they  cried.  “You’ve 

314 


‘‘VIVE  NAPOLEON  r* 

run  foul  of  us!  You’ve  carried  us  clean 
away  1 Avast  thar  1 Heave-to  1 ” 

They  thought  that  some  river-craft  had 
run  into  them,  and  did  not  for  a consider- 
able time  discover  the  hawser,  but  continued 
shouting  for  help  to  get  back  to  their 
moorings. 

Nearly  bursting  with  suppressed  laugh- 
ter, our  arksmen  said  nothing,  but  kept  the 
horses  hard  at  work.  And  with  the  strong 
current  helping  on,  both  craft  were  now 
going  down-stream  at  a great  rate. 

The  Cairoese  presently  discovered  the 
hawser,  and  divined  the  nature  of  the 
prank  that  was  being  played  on  them. 
Their  hails  for  aid  and  information  suddenly 
changed  to  threats  and  execrations  not  to 
be  recorded  here. 

Soon,  too,  a rifle  flashed  and  a bullet 
sang  past ; then  another,  and  loads  of  buck- 
shot began  to  whistle  and  to  pepper  the 
keel.  Our  delighted  arksmen  were  all 

315 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


lying  low,  however,  and  had  the  horses 
well  protected.  They  still  held  on,  and 
kept  the  old  broadhorn  hurrying  down  the 
river  at  twelve-knot  speed. 

But  the  denizens  of  Cairo  were  not  to 
be  long  trifled  with.  Many  of  them  had 
experience  as  river-men,  and  some  were 
desperate  characters.  Instead  of  casting  off 
the  hawser,  or  cutting  loose,  numbers  of 
them  suddenly  began  hauling  their  end  of 
it  inboard,  and  despite  the  draft  on  it,  soon 
shortened  the  distance  between  the  two 
craft,  with  the  evident  design  of  boarding 
the  horse-boat. 

But  this  was  what  Captain  Royce  and 
Shadwell  Lincoln  had  been  looking  for,  and 
before  much  progress  had  been  made,  the 
former  quietly  cut  adrift  himself,  and  veer- 
ing off,  let  Cairo  go  on  its  involuntary 
voyage  down-stream. 

Rifles  still  continued  to  crack,  and  not 
a few  bullets  came  aboard  the  Milly  Ayer. 

316 


VIVE  NAPOLEON!” 


Captain  Royce  got  away  from  his  queer 
“tow”  without  much  difficulty,  however, 
and  when  day  dawned  was  ten  miles  on  his 
way  up  the  Mississippi,  bound  for  St.  Louis. 

It  is  said  that  Cairo  did  not  get  back  to 
its  former  moorings  for  a week  or  more. 
And  for  years  afterward  river-men  were 
wont  to  relate  the  story  of  the  joke  which 
“ Mack  ” Royce  played  on  the  “ town.” 

The  Milly  Ayer  was  five  days  going  from 
the  confluence  of  the  Ohio  up  to,  St.  Louis. 
But,  at  a little  before  noon  on  the  27th,  it 
arrived  in  sight  of  the  pretty  clearing  on 
the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  where 
stood  the  hundred  and  eighty  houses  of 
squared  logs  which  comprised  the  St.  Louis 
of  1803. 

Pierre  Laclede,  a French  trader,  cleared 
a site  and  built  the  first  houses  here  in  1764. 
In  1803  the  houses  of  the  French  traders 
and  principal  citizens  stood  along  Main 
Street,  each  at  the  center  of  what  is  now  a 


317 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


city  block,  surrounded  by  high  palisades,  or 
stone  walls,  for  defensive  purposes.  Fruit 
and  vegetable  gardens  were  within  these 
enclosures.  There  were  two  small  taverns, 
a bakery,  two  smithies  and  two  grist-mills. 
Many  of  the  people  were  traders,  and  kept 
a stock  of  goods  at  their  houses. 

The  luxuries,  and  even  the  necessities, 
of  life  were  excessively  dear ; coffee  was 
two  dollars  a pound,  and  sugar  equally 
high-priced.  A knowledge  of  this  had  led 
Captain  Royce  to  lay  in  a stock  of  these 
staples,  after  consenting  to  take  Lieutenant 
Grimsby  as  a passenger.  And,  as  the  event 
proved,  he  was  able  to  clear  a dollar  a 
pound  on  four  quintals  of  each. 

At  the  outset,  however,  a mad  prank  on 
the  part  of  the  lieutenant  came  near  getting 
them  in  trouble.  Knowing  that  the  French 
at  St.  Louis  cherished  a vast  admiration  for 
Napoleon  Bonaparte,  and  were  expecting 
that  he  would  shortly  take  possession  of  the 

318 


“NAPOLEON  IS  here!  VIVE  NAPOLEON!” 


Page  3ig 


‘‘VIVE  NAPOLEON!’’ 


Mississippi  Valley,  Grimsby  bethought  him- 
self— since  their  pet  bear  was  named 
Napoleon — to  have  some  sport  from  the 
coincidence.  He  said  nothing  to  Captain 
Royce,  but  persuaded  Lewis  and  Moses  to 
assist  him,  and  told  them  what  to  shout  as 
they  drew  in  to  the  landing-place. 

In  those  days  the  arrival  of  a keel-boat 
from  New  Orleans  was  an  event.  Not 
more  than  ten  came  up  in  the  course  of  a 
season.  As  soon  as  the  Milly  Ayer  was 
sighted,  nearly  the  whole  population  came 
running  to  the  river  bank,  and  were  both 
astonished  and  immensely  delighted  to  see 
Moses  and  Lewis  waving  the  tricolor  from 
the  top  of  the  deck-house  and  hear  them 
shouting : 

Vive  Napoleon!'^  Napoleon  est  id!'" 
(Napoleon  is  here!)  Napoleon  chez  vous!” 

This  was  sufficiently  bad  French,  but  it 
was  understood.  And  the  effect  ashore  was 
tremendous  I 


CHAPTER  XIV 


CONCLUSION 

APOLEON  has  come! 
Napoleon  est  id!  Vive 
Napoleon  ! ” 

For  a time  the  sim- 
ple French  habitants 
were  mute  with  aston- 
ishment. Then  an  answering  shout  rose : 
‘‘  Vive  Napoleon  ! Vive  la  France  ! ''  It  was 
like  putting  a match  to  fireworks.  An  inde- 
scribable excitement  ensued.  The  settlers 
crowded  the  river  bank.  Trappers  fired  their 
guns  in  the  air.  And  now  from  all  the  more 
distant  houses,  from  the  fort  and  from  the 
watch-tower,  many  others — traders,  soldiers, 
and  even  the  governor  and  his  secretary — 
came  hastening  to  the  landing-place. 

Within  five  minutes  more  than  a thou- 
sand people  collected,  all  vastly  astonished 
and  overjoyed  at  the  strange  tidings. 

320 


CONCLUSION 


A babel  of  eager  questions  now  burst 
forth.  Was  it  true  ? Where  was  the 
mighty  Frenchman  ? And  who  was  worthy 
to  entertain  him  ? All  looked  to  Governor 
Delassus.  With  inward  consternation  the 
good  governor  bethought  himself  as  to  his 
somewhat  scanty  accommodations.  In 
short,  the  prank  was  even  more  successful 
than  the  waggish  Grimsby  had  anticipated. 
Intent  on  securing  the  full  dramatic  effect 
of  his  joke  at  the  proper  moment,  the 
frivolous  lieutenant  had  kept  the  bear  out 
of  sight,  in  the  horse  stalls,  till  the  boat 
drew  in  to  the  bank.  Then  hauling  him 
suddenly  forth  by  his  chain,  he  made  him 
rear  on  his  haunches  in  plain  sight  of  all 
and  shouted,  ‘‘  Voila  Napoleon  ! ’’ 

Lewis  and  Moses,  from  the  deck  above, 
also  cried,  “ Here’s  Napoleon  ! ” and  burst 
into  shouts  of  laughter. 

A jest  of  this  kind  was  quite  in  keeping 
with  the  rough  humor  of  frontiersmen, 
321 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


but  with  these  French  people  it  fell  very 
flat.  They  neither  understood  nor  appre- 
ciated it ; they  were  simply  bewildered. 

‘‘  Un  ours!'*  (a  bear  !)  they  murmured, 
with  glances  of  displeasure  and  many  shrugs 
of  disgust. 

‘‘  Un  ours!”  What  did  it  all  mean,  and 
what  in  the  world  were  these  Americans 
laughing  at?  Where  was  the  joke  ? They 
failed  to  see  anything  laughable.  “ Un 
ours  ! ” 

No  one  laughed,  and  at  last  the  lieu- 
tenant tried  to  explain  his  joke.  ‘‘  Son  notn 
est  Napoleon  !”  said  he,  pointing  to  the  bear. 
“That  is  his  name!  Napoleon!  He  has 
come  to  see  you ! ’’  and  Grimsby  burst  out 
in  another  laugh. 

Dismal  silence  continued  to  prevail 
ashore,  except  that  several,  still  shrugging 
with  comical  little  grimaces,  muttered  that 
Monsieur,  V Americain,  appeared  to  be  un 
farceur — a joker  ! 

322 


CONCLUSION 


“Ah,  well,”  cried  Grimsby,  disgusted 
in  turn  by  their  lack  of  humor,  “you  had 
better  take  a good  look  at  him  ! It  is  the 
only  Napoleon  that  you  will  ever  see  come 
up  the  Mississippi!  Your  grand  Napoleon 
has  sold  you  out  to  the  United  States. 
Within  ten  days  your  new  American  gov- 
ernor will  be  here  1 ” 

At  this  juncture  Capt.  Meriwether 
Lewis,  who  had  recently  come  there,  made 
his  way  down  to  the  bank,  and  hailing 
Captain  Royce,  whom  he  had  previously 
met  at  Marietta,  lent  his  aid  to  explain  the 
matter  to  the  governor  and  others.  Captain 
Lewis  was  at  this  time  completing  his  prep- 
arations for  the  famous  Lewis  and  Clark 
expedition,  which,  under  direction  of  Presi- 
dent Jefferson,  set  off  from  St.  Louis  on  the 
I oth  of  May  following. 

Lieutenant  Grimsby  had  not  seen  the 
last  of  his  joke,  however.  On  setting  off 
from  the  Milly  Ayer  the  next  morning,  to 

323 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


lead  Napoleon  to  the  governor’s  house,  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Walnut 
Streets,  he  was  stoned  by  some  young  loaf- 
ers ; and  in  his  efforts  to  catch  one  of  them 
he  lost  hold  of  Napoleon. 

The  bear,  alarmed  by  the  stones,  gal- 
loped up  the  street  and  turned  in  at  the 
open  gate  of  one  of  the  palisaded  courtyards. 

Immediately  a great  outcry  ensued  in- 
side. Children  and  women  screamed,  and 
presently  a gun  was  fired.  Napoleon  was 
creating  a terrible  commotion,  and  it  was 
uncertain  what  damage  to  life  or  property 
he  might  be  doing.  But  Grimsby,  being 
overmatched  by  his  assailants,  was  unable  to 
go  in  pursuit  of  him.  After  a scuffle  the 
lieutenant  ran  back  to  the  river  bank  and 
called  on  Moses,  Lewis  and  Wistar  Royce 
to  return  with  him. 

The  four  set  off  together  at  a run,  and 
on  reaching  the  scene  of  the  skirmish,  found 
that  Grimsby’s  assailants  had  beaten  a re- 

324 


CONCLUSION 


treat,  and  a worse  outcry  than  ever  was 
issuing  from  within  the  courtyard  of  the 
house  where  the  pet  bear  had  taken  refuge. 
But  now  the  cries  were  those  of  pigs  instead 
of  human  beings.  The  gate  had  swung  to 
and  latched,  and  the  palisades  were  too 
high  to  scale. 

After  some  delay  Grimsby  and  his 
friends  forced  the  gate, — for  the  case  seemed 
urgent, — and  found  an  odd  state  of  affairs 
prevailing  within.  In  one  corner  of  the 
yard  was  a sow  with  a large  litter  of  young 
pigs.  To  these  Napoleon  was  paying 
assiduous  attentions.  But  for  each  one  that 
he  seized  he  was  forced  to  fight  a pitched 
battle  with  the  sow,  which,  in  defense  of 
her  young,  attacked  him  with  great  intre- 
pidity, squealing  and  clacking  her  jaws  in  a 
most  ferocious  manner.  With  a stroke  of 
his  paw  the  bear  was  able  to  prostrate  the 
sow,  but  immediately  she  was  on  her  feet 
again,  quite  as  fierce  as  before. 

3^5 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


There  was  such  an  uproar  that  the 
rescue  party  did  not  at  first  notice  what  had 
become  of  the  people  of  the  house  till  they 
heard  them  calling  out  from  the  roof. 

The  man,  a French  trader,  had  a gun, 
the  flint-lock  of  which  he  was  endeavoring 
to  put  in  order.  He  had  fired  once,  but 
had  failed  to  do  the  bear  much  injury. 
The  trader’s  wife,  children  and  two  or 
three  female  servants  were  behind  him  on 
the  roof,  and  they  all  besought  the  arksmen 
to  drive  out  the  bear  and  save  their  poor 
pigs. 

Grimsby  and  Moses  laid  hold  of  the 
chain  and  tried  to  pull  Napoleon  away,  but 
he  had  become  excited  in  the  affray  with 
the  sow.  He  was  bleeding  from  several 
slight  wounds ; and,  moreover,  had  had  a 
taste  of  young  pork.  He  turned  upon  his 
masters  so  savagely  that  they  were  obliged 
to  let  him  go,  but  they  finally  succeeded  in 
driving  him  out  of  the  enclosure. 

326 


CONCLUSION 


Attracted  by  the  clamor,  a considerable 
crowd  had  collected  in  the  street  outside 
the  gate,  and  when  the  bear  rushed  forth 
another  hubbub  rose.  Napoleon  ran  up 
Market  Street,  however,  which  was  then  a 
mere  country  lane,  and  escaped  through  the 
broken  gate  of  the  stockade  which  enclosed 
the  hamlet. 

Outside  the  stockade  there  were  clear- 
ings, fifty  or  sixty  acres  in  extent,  where 
the  people  raised  wheat,  corn  and  vege- 
tables. It  was  while  cultivating  these  crops 
a few  years  before  that  the  settlers  were 
surprised  by  the  savages  from  the  British 
post  at  Michilimackinac  during  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution.  Across  this  cleared  tract 
Napoleon  was  now  escaping.  On  reaching 
the  gateway  of  the  stockade,  Lewis  caught 
sight  of  his  shaggy  black  coat  as  he  bounded 
over  the  charred  logs  that  still  encumbered 
the  fields. 

They  all  gave  chase  after  him,  for 

327 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


Grimsby  was  very  desirous  of  presenting 
him  to  Major  Stoddard;  but  the  bear  ran 
fast  and  reached  the  woods.  For  the  time 
being,  at  least,  he  appeared  to  have  had 
more  than  enough  of  civilization  and  its 
dubious  luxuries  — including  young  pigs 
with  savage  mothers.  Lewis  and  Moses 
called  after  him  in  most  endearing  accents, 
but  he  still  ran  on.  They  could  hear  his 
long  chain  jingle  as  it  dragged  over  logs ; 
and  now  and  then  they  sighted  him,  but 
could  not  overtake  him. 

Thinking,  however,  that  he  would  stop 
after  awhile,  they  followed  on  for  several 
miles,  through  what  was  then  a virgin 
forest  of  chestnut,  walnut  and  sycamore. 

At  last  they  crossed  a creek  and  saw  the 
bear  ascending  a hill.  Near  the  top  of  this 
hill  they  came  upon  him,  hung  up  hard 
and  fast  by  his  chain,  the  ring  in  the  end 
of  which  had  caught  between  two  fallen 
tree  trunks.  He  was  panting  hard,  and 
328 


CONCLUSION 

appeared  to  have  had  all  the  exercise  he 
desired.  He  licked  Moses’  hand  when  the 
boy  patted  his  head,  and  went  back  with 
them  in  a very  docile  frame  of  mind  to  the 
governor’s  house. 

The  arksmen  were  far  too  desirous  of 
reaching  home  to  dally  longer  than  was 
necessary  in  St.  Louis.  Having  landed 
his  passenger  according  to  agreement,  and 
disposed  of  his  venture  in  coffee  and  sugar. 
Captain  Royce  lost  no  time  in  returning 
down  the  river.  He  was  not  sorry  to 
part  company  with  the  waggish  Grimsby, 
whose  propensity  for  practical  joking  ren- 
dered companionship  with  him  both  em- 
barrassing and  unsafe. 

Having  now  the  river  current  in  aid  of 
the  paddle-gear,  they  reached  the  confluence 
with  the  Ohio  in  a little  more  than  two 
days.  After  what  had  taken  place  there  a 
week  or  more  before,  they  judged  it  prudent 
to  go  past  “ Cairo  ” during  the  small  hours 

329 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 

of  the  night.  Beyond  doubt  this  was  a 
wise  precaution.  It  was  learned  subse- 
quently that  the  population  of  the  old 
^^broadhorn”  was  watching  the  river  for 
them.  Practical  jokes  have  an  unpleasant 
habit  of  coming  home  to  roost. 

On  March  19th  they  ‘‘cordelled”  up 
Letart’s  “ Falls,”  the  scene  of  their  en- 
counter with  the  Shawnees,  and  a little  be- 
fore sunset,  three  days  later — just  a year  and 
two  days  from  the  time  when  they  had 
started — the  Milly  Ayer  rounded  the  bend 
below  Fish  Creek,  and  came  in  sight  of 
home. 

As  the  familiar  hillocks  and  clearings 
came  into  view,  Lewis,  Moses  and  Wistar 
waxed  wild  with  excitement  and  delight. 
They  danced  and  whooped  ; Moses  actually 
stood  on  his  head,  and  Marion  Royce  felt 
his  own  heart  beating  hard  and  fast.  But 
he  was  pondering  gravely  on  all  that  might 
have  happened  during  their  long  absence, 
330 


CONCLUSION 


and  on  the  evil  tidings  that  he  must  bear  to 
the  mother  of  Louis  Gist  and  the  wife  of 
John  Cutler. 

Not  one  word  from  home  had  reached 
them  in  all  that  time ; but  he  supposed 
that  Corson  and  MacAfee  had  arrived  long 
ago,  bearing  his  message  that  the  horse-boat 
was  on  her  way. 

In  point  of  fact,  however,  no  news  had 
come  to  the  home  people  since  that  black 
day  in  early  June,  when  Gist  had  found  his 
way  back  and  reported  the  capture  of  the 
ark  by  the  Indians. 

Gist’s  account  had  been  doubted  by 
many,  and  for  a long  time  those  anxious 
little  homesteads  had  waited  and  hoped 
that  further  tidings  would  come.  But  when 
September  and  October  passed  and  winter 
drew  on,  even  the  most  sanguine  grew 
hopeless  ; and  how  disconsolately  the  spring 
opened  ! For,  not  only  had  these  pioneer 
families  lost  the  fruits  of  two  years’  hard 


331 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


labor,  but  also  their  most  efficient  young 
men.  There  seemed  nothing  left  them 
with  which  to  begin  another  year;  not  even 
heart  and  courage  to  labor  on. 

In  the  Royce  and  Hoyt  families  there 
was  mourning  for  both  their  sons ; and  at 
the  Ayer  farmhouse  grief  more  silent,  per- 
haps, but  even  more  poignant,  was  felt. 
Milly  was  among  those  who  had  hoped 
bravely  on  till  midwinter.  She  and  Molly 
Royce  were  the  last  to  give  up  faith  that 
Marion,  Lewis  and  Moses  had  somehow' 
escaped  and  would  yet  come  back. 

But  when  March  passed  and  no  tidings 
came,  despair  fell  on.  them,  too,  and  the 
despair  of  such  hopeful  young  hearts  is  sad 
to  witness.  The  little  settlement  was  in 
mourning  none  the  less  sincere  that  there 
was  no  black  crape  or  sable  plume  for  out- 
ward symbols  of  it. 

Yet  one  emblem  of  their  grief  these 
sad-faced  women  and  girls  were  able  to 
332 


CONCLUSION 


contrive.  They  wove  and  fashioned  little 
shoulder  capes  from  homespun  linen,  and 
dyed  them  black  with  an  “ink”  made  by 
boiling  the  twigs  of  the  swamp-maple. 
Nine  of  these  little  black  capes  were  worn  that 
spring,  and  one  of  those  pathetic  little  tokens 
of  pioneer  sorrow  is  still  in  existence,  the 
property  of  a lineal  descendant  of  Milly  Ayer. 

That  afternoon  Milly  and  Molly  chanced 
to  be  coming  from  Mrs.  Merrick's  cabin, 
when,  as  they  climbed  the  hillside,  where  a 
vista  of  the  Ohio  opened  to  view,  Molly 
saw  the  “ keel  ” rounding  the  bend. 

“ There's  a boat  coming,  Milly,''  she 
said,  soberly  enough ; but  Milly,  thinking 
of  one  that  would  never  return,  had  hardly 
the  heart  to  look. 

Boats  on  the  river  were  always  objects 
of  interest  then,  however,  and  Molly  pres- 
ently turned. 

“It's  a keel,”  she  said.  “It  must  be  a 
horse-boat,  too,  it  comes  so  fast.” 


333 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


A Pittsburgh  keel,  it  is  likely,”  Milly 
replied,  apathetically;  ‘‘or,  maybe.  Marietta.” 

“Perhaps  it  is  from  New  Orleans,”  said 
Molly.  “ Oh,  I wish  we  could  hail  them 
and  ask  if  they  had  ever  heard  anything.” 

They  had  no  real  intention  of  doing  so 
bold  a thing,  yet  for  some  moments  they 
stood  watching  the  approaching  craft, 
which,  to  avoid  the  more  rapid  current,  had 
been  keeping  well  over  to  the  Virginia 
shore. 

“ It’s  going  to  cross  ! ” Molly  exclaimed, 
at  last.  “ It’s  heading  this  way ! What  a 
noise  the  paddles  make  ! ” — for  the  wind 
was  southerly. 

Sturdily  the  little  keel  stemmed  the 
river  current,  making  for  the  creek  mouth. 

“O  Milly,  I do  believe  they  are  going 
to  call  at  our  landing!”  the  younger  girl 
now  exclaimed  in  excitement.  “Yes,  they 
are  coming  right  into  our  creek  1 Hear  the 
horses’  feet  clatter  ! ” 


334 


“THEY  ARE  GOING  TO  CALL  AT  OUR  LANDING!" 


Piige  334 


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CONCLUSION 


Perhaps  they  want  to  buy  something 
— eggs,  or  milk,  or  potatoes,”  said  Milly. 
‘‘We  have  a few  eggs.  We  will  go  out  on 
the  bluff  above  the  landing,  and  answer  if 
they  hail.” 

There  was  a little  belt  of  hickory  and 
oak  to  pass  through,  and  by  the  time  the 
two  girls  had  come  out  on  the  bluff  the 
keel  of  our  returning  arksmen  had  entered 
the  mouth  of  the  creek,  but  was  passing 
behind  the  thick,  tall  fringe  of  sycamores 
that  bordered  the  stream. 

A moment  later  it  emerged  into  the 
cleared  space  about  the  jetty,  and  there 
stood  Moses  on  top  of  the  cabin  roof.  He 
had  discovered  them  upon  the  bluff,  and  was 
swinging  his  cap,  shouting: 

“There’s  Milly  ! There’s  Molly  ! ” 

Thereupon  Marion  and  Wistar,  who 
were  forward  with  pike-poles,  to  fend  off,  and 
Lewis,  who  was  at  the  sweep  aft,  all  looked  up 
the  bank  and  joined  in  Moses’ joyous  shouts. 
335 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


So  sudden  was  the  transition  from  sor- 
row to  joy,  it  is  not  strange  that  instead  of 
rushing  down  to  the  landing,  the  two  girls, 
after  a feeble  effort  to  answer,  sat  down, 
quite  overcome,  and  burst  into  tears.  When 
Captain  Royce  and  the  others  jumped  ashore 
and  ran  up  to  where  they  were,  Milly  and 
Molly  were  found  smiling,  indeed,  but  with 
such  wet  cheeks  that,  noting  the  little  black 
capes,  Marion  cried,  “ O Milly,  who  is 
dead  ? ” 

And  it  is  said  that  Milly's  faint  little 
reply  was,  “ Nobody,  Marion — except — 
except — you  ! ’’ 

We  may  be  sure  that  these  brave  youths 
were  not  long  convincing  the  girls  that  they 
were  still  very  much  alive;  and,  not  only 
Milly  and  Molly,  but  all  the  rest  of  the  little 
community.  For  just  then  Mrs.  Ayer,  who 
had  seen  the  keel  heading  in,  came  hasten- 
ing to  the  landing.  The  Hoyt  boys*  father 
also  made  his  appearance,  and  immediately 

336 


CONCLUSION 


the  glorious  news  was  shouted  from  house 
to  house. 

The  last  to  hear  of  the  safe  return  of  the 
arksmen  was  Uncle  Amasa.  He  had  broken 
in  the  long  months  of  grieving  for  the  dis- 
appearance of  Jimmy,  whom  he  believed 
dead,  and  he  came  in  slowly,  with  as  much 
heaviness  in  his  heart  as  he  had  of  sympathy 
for  those  whom  he  was  coming  to  congrat- 
ulate. But  when  he  neared  the  group  about 
the  landing  he  saw  a figure  that  made  his 
heart  quicken.  Jimmy  saw  him  at  the 
same  moment. 

“ I — r ve  seen  pa,”  Jimmy  said  in  strange, 
inconsequent  sort  of  haste.  “ He  sent  his 
love  to  you.” 

Old  Uncle  Amasa  laid  trembling  hands 
on  him,  and  wordlessly  drew  him  close. 

Jimmy  looked  about  at  the  familiar 
place,  scarred  with  the  fire  where  the  shed 
had  stood.  ‘‘The  man  that  set  it  is  killed,” 
he  said.  “He  did  it  to  spite  you,  grand- 
337 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


father,  for  an  old,  old  grudge.  He  broached 
the  barrels  and  then  when  he  couldn’t 
drink  any  more  he  set  fire  to  the  shed  and 
rode  away,  and  I found  him.”  He  looked 
back  at  the  old  man.  — Governor  Clai- 
borne of  Mississippi  sent  his  regards  to  you. 
He  says  we’re  cousins.  He  was  right  at  the 
head  of  everything.  You  would  have  liked 
that.  I tell  you,  if  you’d  been  at  New 
Orleans,  you’d  have  been  proud  of  the 
family.” 

Marion  came  up  and  shook  Uncle 
Amasa’s  hand.  ‘‘You  would  have  been 
proud  right  along,”  he  said,  eagerly  “ It 
was  Jimmy  that  pulled  us  through.” 

Uncle  Amasa  chuckled  and  patted  Jim- 
my’s shoulder.  “ I kinder  thought  it  would 
do  Jimmy  right  much  good  to  go  out  into 
the  world,”  he  said. 

Master  Hempstead  now  came  up  and 
shook  Jimmy’s  hand.  “ When  we  last  met 
did  not  Sir  Balin  smite  Sir  Lanceor  until  the 
338 


CONCLUSION 


blood  flowed  over  his  hawberk  ? Zounds, 
son,  I am  glad  that  you’ve  found  that  some- 
body else  was  the  incendiary.” 

‘‘  I owe  you  an  apology,  sir,”  said  Jimmy 
with  great  respect.  ‘‘  I was  too  hasty.” 

It’s  a grand  thing  to  be  hasty,”  mur- 
mured Uncle  Amasa,  rubbing  the  bald  side 
of  his  head  where  the  Indians  had  scalped 
him. 

“ I guess  the  governor  thought  so  when 
Jimmy  saved  him  from  the  assassin’s  bullet,” 
laughed  Marion.  ‘‘  It  seems  to  be  all  a 
question  of  being  hasty  in  the  right  place. 
Don’t  you  think  so,  Jimmy  ?” 

“ I guess  that’s  it,”  said  Jimmy,  happily. 

Then  began  such  a jubilee  as  this  small 
settlement  had  never  known  before.  ‘‘  Brush 
College  ” had  another  holiday,  and  Master 
Hempstead  became  vastly  exhilarated — 
wholly  from  joy,  let  us  hope.  No  one,  it  is 
said,  slept  at  all  that  night, — unless  a few 
infants, — and  dawn  surprised  the  entire 
339 


THE  ARK  OF  1803 


population  at  the  capacious  Royce  cabin, 
still  listening  to  the  story  of  that  memorable 
voyage. 

Otherwise,  too,  the  arksmen  had  great 
news  to  tell.  New  Orleans  was  no  longer 
a Spanish  possession,  but  an  American  city, 
where  Western  keels,  arks  and  barges  could 
go  without  let  or  hindrance;  and  the  Mis- 
sissippi was  a free  river  from  St.  Louis  to 
the  Gulf. 

It  was  then — along  toward  morning — 
that  Master  Hempstead  waxed  wondrously 
eloquent,  and  made  a great  speech,  still  re- 
membered, in  which,  with  prophetic  vision, 
he  predicted  and  portrayed  the  future  glories 
of  the  middle  West. 

So  much  remains  to  relate  that  I bring 
the  narrative  to  a close  most  reluctantly. 
The  annals  of  the  Royce  and  Ayer  families 
have  it  that  Milly  and  Marion  made  the 
most  remarkable  wedding  tour  of  those 
times,  journeying  even  to  Philadelphia  and 

340 


CONCLUSION 


to  the  new  capital  city  of  Washington, 
where  they  attended  one  of  President  Jeffer- 
son’s very  democratic  receptions.  But  those 
things  belong  to  the  annals  of  other  years. 
Our  task  was  but  to  tell  the  story  of  the 
Ark  of  1803. 


THE  END 


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